Corybas acuminatus
Common names
spider orchid
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Green, Red/Pink
Detailed description
Mainly solitary, terrestrial, tuberous, glabrous, winter to summer-green herb. Plant at flowering up to 60 mm tall. Leaf sessile, up to 40 × 20 mm, ovate-acuminate to deltoid, repand, cordate at the base, margins usually undulating; light green above with conspicuous reddish veining, silvery beneath. Leaves of young plants reniform or broadly cordate, rarely pandurate, apiculate, without reddish veining. Floral bract shortly caudate, secondary bract subulate. Flower usually solitary, sessile, more or less translucent, with dull red stripes. Dorsal sepal up to 40 mm long, extending as horizontal, filiform caudae. Lateral sepals filiform, erect and very long, tapering, exceeding the flower by as much as 60 mm. Petals similar, smaller, horizontal or deflexed. Labellum bearing two rounded auricles near base; lamina expanded, abruptly deflexed, mucronate, the margins irregularly fimbriate to entire. Column very short with large basal callus; column-wings minutely denticulate and exceeding the anther; stigma orbicular, pollinia 4, massulate. Seeding peduncle up to 180 tall.
Similar taxa
Easily recognised by the green, sessile, triangular, sharply acute leaf with undulating margins and reddish veins, and by the very long dorsal and lateral sepals, and very pale translucent greenish-white, purple flecked flower.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island, South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands.
Habitat
Lowland to subalpine in damp, usually shaded sites. Preferring tall indigenous forest but also found under dense scrub and around tarns and mires.
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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Orchidaceae
Synonyms
Corysanthes acuminata (M.A.Clem. et Hatch) Szlach.; Nematoceras acuminatum (M.A.Clem. et Hatch) Molloy, D.L.Jones et M.A.Clem.
Taxonomic notes
Considerable research is underway to investigate the validity of the segregate genera split from Corybas R.Br. by Jones et al. (2002). Whilst much of that work has yet to be published, on advice from Australian Orchidologists Peter Weston and Stephen Hopper (pers. comm., July 2011, November 2014), all of the segregate genera recognised for New Zealand by Jones et al. (2002) are returned to Corybas.
Lehnebach (2016) made three combinations for those Nematoceras lacking valid names in Corybas. This action now enables the full transfer of Nematoceras back to Corybas. However, as of writing, a formal publication rejecting the segregation of Corybas by Jones et al. (2002) has yet to be published. Lehnebach cites an unpublished PhD (Lyon 2014) that indicates this move is imminent.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
August–December
Fruiting
October–April
Propagation technique
Difficult—should not be removed from the wild. Can be grown in basic orchid mix consists of 2 parts medium coarse sand, ideally clean river sand; 2 parts soil, humus or leaf-mould; 1 part weathered sawdust or rotting wood; 1 part granulated bark. Many Corybas thrive when more leaf-mould is added, and the plants grown in 50–70% shade, in the cooler, darker end of the shade-house, in pots kept moist throughout the growing period.
Other information
Etymology
corybas: Helmet flower
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.
CORACU
Chromosome number
2n = 36
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Clements MA, Hatch ED. 1985. Corybas acuminatus (Orchidaceae)—a new name for the specuies previously considered to be Corybas rivularis. New Zealand Journal of Botany 23: 491-494. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.1985.10425349.
Jones DL, Clements MA, Sharma IK, Mackenzie AM, Molloy BPJ. 2002. Nomenclatural notes arising from studies into the Tribe Diurideae (Orchidaceae). The Orchadian 13(10): 437–468. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/310769#page/2/mode/1up.
Lehnebach C. 2016. New combinations and a replacement name for three New Zealand spider orchids (Corybas). The New Zealand Native Orchid Journal 139. 4–5.
Lyon SP. 2014. Molecular systematics, biogeography, and mycorrhizal associations in the Acianthinae (Orchidaceae), with a focus on the genus Corybas. PhD Thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/UAXO3VHO6P7EH8Y/R/file-19145.pdf.
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 14 April 2007. Description based on: Clements (1985). This was the species treated as C. rivularis (Nematoceras rivulare (A.Cunn.) Hook.f.)) by Moore in Moore & 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): Corybas acuminatus Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/corybas-acuminatus/ (Date website was queried)