Caladenia chlorostyla
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Green, White
Detailed description
Solitary, hirsute, terrestrial, tuberous herb. Leaf semi-erect, 50–150 × 1–3 mm, bright green, narrowly linear, sparsely glandular pubescent. Flowering scape, slender, wiry, 10–300 mm tall, green, glandular-pubescent. Sterile bracts spreading widely, 6.0–11.0 × 1.0–2.5 mm, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, externally glandular-pubescent; fertile bracts closely sheathing, 3–8 × 2–3 mm, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, externally glandular pubescent. Ovary, 6–10 mm long, narrowly ellipsoid, green, glandular-pubescent. Flower unscented, 1–(5), 11–16 mm diameter, externally greenish-white, internally pale greenish-white, white, pale mauve or pinkish. Tepals externally sparsely glandular; dorsal sepal erect and incurved; lateral sepals porrect, remaining closely parallel, or with proximal margins overlapping or fused. Petals widely spreading or incurved. Dorsal sepal 6.0–8.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm, narrowly obovate, obtuse. Lateral sepals 6.0–8.0 × 2.0–2.5 mm, narrowly obovate, oblanceolate, asymmetric, subacute. Petals 6.0–8.0 × 2.0–2.5 mm, oblanceolate, falcate, subacute, apiculate. Labellum greenish-white, white or pinkish with prominent dark red transverse bars articulated on a short 0.4 × 0.8 mm claw, trilobed; lamina ovate in outline when flattened, 5.0–6.0 × 4.5 mm, erect in proximal half, decurved in distal half, apex decurved or straight; lateral lobes 1.8 mm wide, erect and column-embracing, entire; mid-lobe 2.5 mm long, narrowly deltoid; cream to pale yellow, with 6–10 pairs of flat to linear marginal calli to 0.8 mm long, these decrescent and irregular towards apex, calli stipitate, pale yellow often with red stalks, in 2 rows extending onto the base of the mid-lobe; basal calli 4, darker than the rest; head oblong-ovoid, c. 0.5–0.7 mm diameter, papillate. Column 5.0–6.0 × 2.3 mm, green with dark red transverse bars, shallowly incurved, narrowly winged; central anterior ridge 0.8–1.0 mm wide. Anther c. 1.3–1.5 × 1.2–1.5 mm, green, papillate, with a short rostrum. Pollinia 4, 0.8–1.0 mm long, curved to flat, white or green, mealy, incoherent. Stigma semi-circular, 1 mm diameter sunken. Capsule erect, 10.0–12.0 × 2.5–3.5 mm long, ellipsoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, green often with purple stripes.
Similar taxa
See recognition sections for Caladenia nothofageti and C. variegata. Caladenia chlorostyla has been much confused with C. minor from which it is said to differ by the patent rather than stem clasping middle foliaceous bract of the flowering scape, mostly pink rather than greenish flowers, and by the clavate rather than capitate-globular lamina calli. Caladenia minor appears to be confined to the northern one-third of the North Island. However, it is a poorly understood species whose relationships to C. chlorostyla and C. bartlettii need critical evaluation.
Distribution
Probably endemic. New Zealand: Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, North Island, South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands.
Habitat
Coastal to montane up to 1000 m a.s.l. in well-lighted situations in scrub, successional and mature tall indigenous forest. Also frequent in plantation forests.
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
Petalochilus chlorostylus (D.L.Jones, Molloy et M.A.Clem.) D.L.Jones et M.A.Clem.; Petalochilus calyciformis R.S.Rogers, Petalochilus saccatus R.S.Rogers,
Taxonomic notes
Jones et al. (2001) revived the genus Petalochilus R.S.Rogers (erected by Rogers (1924) for what has come to be viewed as a peloric state of Caladenia R.Br.—see Moore & Edgar (1970)) for a distinct clade of mostly New Zealand orchids that had usually been referred to as Caladenia. Subsequently Hopper et al. (2004) showed how the reorganisation of Caladenia by Jones et al. (2001) was unworkable and they recommended a return to Caladenia and the other allied Australian genera that had been recognised previously. Following discussion with S. Hopper and P. Weston (pers. comm., 2011, 2014) the treatment of Hopper et al. (2004) is preferred to that of Jones et al. (2001) and so followed here.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
September–January(March)
Fruiting
December–April
Propagation technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild.
Other information
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.
CALCHL
Chromosome number
2n = 39, 40, 41
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
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened
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.
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Hopper SD, Brown AP. 2004 Robert Brown’s Caladenia revisited, including a revision of its sister genera Cyanicula, Ericksonella and Pheladenia (Caladeniinae: Orchidaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 17(2): 171–240. https://doi.org/10.1071/SB03002.
Jones DL, Clements MA, Sharma IK, Mackenzie AM. 2001. A New Classification of Caladenia R.Br. (Orchidaceae). The Orchadian 13(9): 389–419. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/310770#page/1/mode/1up.
Jones DL, Molloy BPJ, Clements MA. 1997. Three new species and a new combination in Caladenia R.Br. (Orchidaceae) from New Zealand. The Orchadian 12: 221–229.
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
Rogers RS. 1924. Petalochilus: a New Genus of New Zealand Orchids. The Journal of Botany 62: 65–67. https://archive.bsbi.org/Journal_of_Botany_1924.pdf
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (14 April 2007). Description partially taken from Jones et al. (1997).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Caladenia chlorostyla Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/caladenia-chlorostyla/ (Date website was queried)