Chiloglottis trapeziformis
Common names
dainty bird orchid, ant orchid
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Brown, Green
Detailed description
Terrestrial orchid forming dense clonal masses within deep, partially rotted leaf litter, in shaded pine plantation forests. Flowering plants 70–140 mm tall. Leaves sessile to shortly petiolate, 22–55 × 7–20 mm, dark green to red-green, narrow-oblong to elliptic. Flower solitary on a long peduncle held well above foliage; brownish-green or reddish. Dorsal sepal 10–13 mm long, erect, incruved, spathulate, with prominent apical point. Lateral sepals 9–12 mm, spreading, often recruved, divergent, linear-lanceolate. Petals deflexed against ovary, 11 mm long, broadly linear, somewhat asymmetric. Labellum on long claw, 10 mm long, erect, broadly rhombic, angular, apex obtuse; calli dark black, glossy, aggregated at base of expanded part of labellum and on common stout stalk, bearing two elongate compound calli usually at distal and apical ends of main calli cluster, the distal calli projected out from main cluster; tiny calli irregularly scattered on claw. Column with upper ½ broadly winged, the rounded wing apices positioned higher than the anther. Capsule rarely produced in New Zealand, few seen narrowly ellipsoid 5–10 mm long, terminal on greatly elongated peduncle.
Similar taxa
Chiloglottis formicifera is similar but can be distinguished by the undulating leaf margins, shorter and larger flowers, and labellum which is more heavily ornamented with calli, with the central cluster having a remarkable resemblance to an ant. Chiloglottis cornuta could be confused though its flowers are borne on much shorter peduncles (often immersed within the foliage), and it has a greenish flower with deltoid rather than rhomboid labellum, and well spaced, rather closely packed and clustered stalked rather than sessile calli.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island (formerly known from pine forest near Hokio Beach, Levin, on the Horowhenua Coast. That population was destroyed following logging. However, plants were rescued and planted nearby by people skilled in orchid management). Also Australia.
Habitat
Known naturally in New Zealand from a coastal pine plantation near Hokio, Levin where it was discovered in 2001. Here it grew in several patches in dense drifts of semi-rotted pine needles. This population was destroyed in 2003 by logging. it is now regarded as extinct there. Plants were moved to other parts of the country—their exact fate is unknown.
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 | Non-resident Native – Vagrant | Qualifiers: SO
Threats
By 2003 there were no natural populations of this species left in New Zealand. The only known population was destroyed because the site it had appeared in was a privately owned pine forest due to be logged. This species is abundant in Australia. It has been planted by New Zealand Native Orchid Group members in several North Island locations. The fate of these plantings is as yet unknown. This species does not readily set seed in New Zealand because its insect-pollination vector is apparently absent.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Myrmechila trapeziformis (Fitzg.) D.L.Jones et M.A.Clem
Taxonomic notes
Chiloglottis trapeziformis (as Myrmechila trapeziformis) was formally admitted to the New Zealand flora by de Lange et al. (2007) based on a population discovered near Hokio, Levin. Recently (Miller & Clements 2014) have treated the segregate genera Myrmechila and Simpliglottis proposed by Szlachekto (2001) and Jones & Clements (2005) as synonyms of Chiloglottis.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
July–December
Fruiting
November–February (rarely produced in New Zealand)
Propagation technique
Easily grown in a moist, well drained, gritty soil freely mulched with semi-rotted pine needles and bark. Prefers semi-shade. An attractive species whose flowers with their remarkable ant-like calli are most unusual within the New Zealand orchid Flora.
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.
CHITRA
Chromosome number
2n = c.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 | Non-resident Native – Vagrant | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Non-resident Native – Vagrant | Qualifiers: SO
2009 | Non-resident Native – Vagrant | Qualifiers: EW, SO
2004 | Non-resident Native – Vagrant
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
de Lange P, Rolfe J, St George I, Sawyer J. 2007. Wild orchids of the lower North Island. Department of Conservation, Wellington. 194 p.
Jones DL, Clements MA. 2005. Miscellaneous Nomenclatural Notes and Changes in Australian, New Guinea and New Zealand Orchidaceae. The Orchadian 15: 33–42. https://ia802309.us.archive.org/14/items/orchadian15austb/orchadian15austb_bw.pdf.
Miller JT, Clements MA. 2014. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of Drakaeinae: Diurideae (Orchidaceae) based on DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region. Australian Systematic Botany 27(1): 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1071/SB13036.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 14 April 2007: Description from de Lange et al. (2007).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Chiloglottis trapeziformis Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/chiloglottis-trapeziformis/ (Date website was queried)