Corybas confusus
Common name
spider orchid
Synonyms
None - described in 2016
Family
Orchidaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Orchids
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Terrestrial, seasonal orchid. Leaves solitary heart-shaped or broadly ovate, distinctly mucronate. Flowers solitary, dark maroon.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island, South Island, possibly the Chatham Islands (where plants currently referred to C. aff. sulcatus approach it).
Habitat
A species of primarily beech (Lophozonia (Nothofagaceae)) forest, montane to subalpine scrub and tussock grassland, in damp mossy areas ranging from 1000–1100 m a.s.l.
Detailed description
Terrestrial herbs, 12–30 mm tall at flowering. Leaf distinctly petiolate, petiole 2.8–31.4 mm long; lamina cordiform to widely ovate, 9.7–19.0 × 10.8–21.3 mm; margin entire; apex mucronate with mucro 0.1–2.2 mm long. Flower solitary, held erect on a peduncle 0.6–7.8 mm long; floral bract triangular to widely deltoid when flattened, 1.0–6.6 × 1.3–3.0 mm; dorsal sepal dark or light green, with red-maroon streaks and blotches towards the apex, arching over the labellum, concave to cucullate, narrow at the base and spathulate towards the tip, apex obtuse or slightly retuse; lateral sepals linear-filiform, whitish or red to maroon, 13.1–46.1 mm long; petals similar to the lateral sepals but longer, 27–75 mm long; labellum dark red to maroon with a pale green to yellowish centre, auriculate at base, aperture 0.8–3.0 mm in diameter; lamina deflexed, c. 7–10 mm wide, with a central groove formed by an inwards folding of the lamina, extending downwards almost to the lower margin and sunken pit formed at the point where the lamina bends, upper margin incurving, mostly entire but finely erose or lacinate towards the lower margin, apex notched, inner surface covered with small hairs. Ovary 3.0–7.6 mm long. Column 2.1 mm long, straight, with truncate to emarginate wings at either side of the stigma.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
Similar taxa
Allied to Corybas trilobus from which it differs by its widely ovate to cordiform, distinctly mucronate leaf and dark maroon labellum. Corybas confusus resembles C. obscurus in the dark maroon colour of the labellum but differs from that species by its dark to light green dorsal sepal with obtuse to slightly retuse apex that extends beyond the labellum.
Flowering
October–December
Flower colours
Purple, Red/Pink
Fruiting
November–January
Propagation technique
Difficult—should not be removed from the wild.
Threats
No Threatened.
Etymology
corybas: Helmet flower
confusus: In reference to the difficult of identification and the confusion caused through general similarity to other plants
Attribution
Fact Sheet for NZPCN prepared by P.J. de Lange (13 August 2016). Description from Lehnebach et al. (2016)
References and further reading
Lehnebach CA, Zeller AJ, Frericks J, Ritchie P. 2016. Five new species of Corybas (Diurideae, Orchidaceae) endemic to New Zealand and phylogeny of the Nematoceras clade. Phytotaxa 270(1): 1–24. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.270.1.1.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Corybas confusus Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/corybas-confusus/ (Date website was queried)