Calochilus robertsonii
Common names
red bearded orchid
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Green, Red/Pink
Detailed description
Slender to rather stoutly robust orchid 100–800 mm tall. Stem fleshy, erect, dark green to blue-green (glaucous). Leaf fleshy, lanceolate, green to blue-green, channelled, sheathing at base apex acute. Cauline bracts similar but much shorter. Inflorescence a raceme of (1)–2–(4) flowers. Floral bracts narrow, acute, overtopping ovary. Perianth mostly green, except for bright red lamina, and red cilia of labellum (cilia copious). Dorsal sepal 10–15 mm long, broad-elliptic, acute, somewhat folded about column; lateral sepals similar though smaller. Petals shorter, obliquely deltoid, apex subacute, directed toward dorsal sepal, green striped with red. Labellum 2× length of sepals, green suffused with red, with a red apex, not much larger than sepals and petals; ligulate apex, short, twisted usually hidden within cilia; disc broad with long, dense processes; base covered with numerous short, rounded red calli. Column wings each with one, prominent dark basal gland or callus.
Similar taxa
Of the three species of Calochilus R.Br. known from New Zealand, C. robertsonii is easily distinguished by the column-wings which are each surmounted by a single rounded (bead-like) gland near the base, and also by the rather short, twisted, glabrous labellum apex. The flowers are distinctly striped with red and cilia on the labellum are red, copious and frequently hide the labellum apex.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island (Hauraki Plains south to the Taupo Volcanic Zone, where it is particularly common around parts of the Kaingaroa Plain and Rotorua), South Island (known from one 1965 gathering from Kaiteriteri (Abel Tasman) and from scattered sites in western Nelson). Also Australia where it is common.
Habitat
A species of usually open, disturbed habitats. Often found in acidic peat bogs, nutrient poor pumice ground and in open sites within frost flats. Also commonly found under Eucalyptus plantations and in and around active geothermal areas. One very large population grows in shortly mown turf within a race course at Rotorua.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: Sp, CD, DPS, DPT, SO
Threats
Although quite widespread, this species is usually not abundant at any particular place and, because it has attractive flowers, it is often picked and/or dug up by people. Because it is strongly mycorrhizal it is virtually impossible to culivate. Indiscriminate plant collection has been a factor in its loss from some parts of the country. However, it would also appear to be spreading well within plantation forestry and it has turned up in some recently logged pine plantations. Over all this species is probably the least threatened of the three Calochilus known from New Zealand.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Orchidaceae
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
(September)–October–December
Fruiting
October–February
Life cycle and dispersal
Minute seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Impossible to cultivate—should not be removed from the wild.
Other information
Etymology
calochilus: From Greek kalos (beautiful) and cheilos (lip), referring to the attractive labellum
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.
CALROB
Chromosome number
2n = 24
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, EF, SO, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: EF, SO, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO, EF
2004 | Sparse
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): Calochilus robertsonii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/calochilus-robertsonii/ (Date website was queried)