Aporostylis bifolia
Common names
odd-leaved orchid
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Red/Pink, White
Detailed description
Stocky, glandular-pubescent, terrestrial, perennial spring to summer-green, tuberous herb. Plant at flowering up to 200 mm tall. Tubers globose-conical. Stem erect, slender, densely glandular-pubescent, green to reddish-green. Leaves near stem base, close to ground, paired, close-set, dark green to green, usually brown or purple spotted, densely to sparsely covered in glandular pubescent hairs, these forming an obvious marginal fringe; lower leaf 100–200 mm long, the upper leaf usually conspicuously shorter; lamina broadly ovate-oblong, broadly oblong, broadly lanceolate, elliptic, rarely linear-lanceolate. Flower usually solitary, rarely paired, subtended by a partially sheathing floral bract; bract partially enclosing ovary. Perianth up to 250 mm diameter, white or pink, glandular-pubescent. Sepals more or less externally glandular-pubescent; dorsal sepal upper most, shallowly concave, wider than laterals, slightly arched over column, lateral sepals similar to petals, linear-lanceolate, wide-spreading. Petals similar but slightly shorter. Labellum sessile, simple, orbicular-obovate broadly expanded with narrower base, margins entire; calli near base, linear to linear-elliptic, yellow, in two median more or less longitudinal rows. Column elongate, erect to slightly curved, column-wings fused in front of base, narrow to level of stigma, there wider and extending upwards as small, sharply pointed lobes, one either side of anther. Anther terminal, apiculate, papillose, pollinia two per cell, pollen finely granular. Stigma discoid, rostellum median.
Similar taxa
Most likely to be confused with species of Caladenia R.Br. and Chiloglottis R.Br. on account of its broad shortly petiolate leaves. From Caladenia it differs by its two rather than usually one, broadly ovate-oblong rather than linear or linear-lanceolate, green usually brown or purple-spotted, rather than uniformly green to reddish-green leaves. From Chiloglottis it differs by its glandular hairy leaves and flowers with white sepals and petals.
Distribution
Endemic monotypic genus. New Zealand: North Island (from Te Moehau south), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Habitat
Initially subalpine to high monatne but descending to lowland and coastal habitats in southern half of range. A species of bogs, seepages and damp open ground, shrubland, tussock grassland or forest. Often found in plantation foresty, particularly under pines.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Caladenia ?bifolia Hook.f.; Chiloglottis traversii F.Muell.; Caladenia macrophylla Col.; Chiloglottis bifolia (Hook.f.) Schlechter
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–March
Fruiting
December–May
Life cycle and dispersal
Minute seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult—should not be removed from the wild.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Etymology
aporostylis: Perplexing style
bifolia: From Latin ‘bis’ and ‘folius’, meaning two leaves
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
APOBIF
Chromosome number
2n = 40
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: TL
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001.
Attribution
Description adapted from Moore and Edgar (1970).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Aporostylis bifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/aporostylis-bifolia/ (Date website was queried)