Gastrodia cooperae
Common names
Cooper’s black orchid
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Simplified description
A terrestrial, parasitic orchid (all parts without chlorophyll). Plants with tubers, producing numerous stems. Flowers fragrant, numerous pendulous, dark brown—green, labellum evident at flower mouth, apex dark brown—black.
Flower colours
Brown, White
Detailed description
Terrestrial, parasitic (on fungi), leafless, achlorophyllous, herb. Rhizome tuberous, pale brown. Plant (220)–360–455–(960) mm tall at flowering. Stem solitary, glabrous, dark to pale brown with greyish longitudinal streaks; (1.2)–1.6–2.6–(4.5) mm diameter. Inflorescence erect, terminal, flowers 6–40, scented, erect when developing and pendulous at anthesis. Floral bract papery, glabrous, deltoid to widely deltoid, apex acute, 2.1–6.6 × 1.6–2.2 mm. Pedicel 1.6–5.3 mm long. Perianth tube 4.9–10.4 × 2.5–5.3 mm, brown to dark brown, surface with pale green to gray wartlike elevations. Sepals reflexed, white to pale green abaxially; margin entire to slightly irregular towards the apex; apex acuminate. Petals adnate to the tube formed by the sepals, oblong, 3.0–3.4 × 1.3–1.8 mm, white on both sides; margin irregular, apex obtuse to round. Labellum 6.5–10.8 mm long; adnate to the base of the perianth, fleshy. Hypochile pale brown, covered with pseudo-pollen, margin entire. Mesochile strongly contracted; margins entire. Epychile trilobed, white at the base to pale yellow towards the apex. Lateral margins incurved, entire in the basal portion then irregularly crenate to cristate towards the apex. Labellum apex fleshy, dark brown to black. Two pale yellow ridges covered in pseudo-pollen extend from the mid-section of the epychile to the apex where they join. Column erect, 5.4–7.8 mm tall, narrow at base and wide towards the apex, 1.2–2.0 mm wide. Pollinia two. Rostellum flap like, flanked by one oblong or two deltoid wings, positioned under anther. Stigma at base of the column, ovate. Ovary 3.7–4.6 × 6.1–6.7 mm long, brown with a few greyish wart-like elevations. Capsules upright when mature; seeds pale brown
Similar taxa
Allied to Gastrodia cunninghamii, G. molloyi and G. sesamoides. From Gastrodia cunninghamii it is easily distinguished by the long rather than short column (which is not visible at the flower mouth). From G. sesamoides it can be distinguished by the dark brown to black rather than pale brown to cream or pale pink perianth, and by the tuberculate rather than smooth stem and flower surfaces. From Gastrodia molloyi, G. cooperae differs by the dark brown to black rather than greenish gold to golden brown perianth; and by the labellum apex which is dark brown to black rather than yellow to orange.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (Wairarapa), South Island (North-west Nelson).
Habitat
Gastrodia cooperae is known in the North Island from a small area of rawirinui (Kunzea robusta) forest, and from the South Island from southern beech (Fuscospora solandri) forest. Gastrodia cooperae seems to have a similar ecology to G. cunninghamii with which it is syntopic in the South Island and once was in the North Island sites where G. cooperae historically occurred.
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT
Threats
Historically recorded from several North Island sites—from two of which it now seems to be extinct (the reasons why are not clear). The three extant populations known at the time Gastrodia cooperae was described (one North Island, two South Island) are believed to comprise fewer than 250 mature individuals so making this species ‘Threatened / Nationally Critical, Criterion A1 (de Lange et al. 2018; Lehnebach et al. 2016; Townsend et al. 2008). Several observations of G. cooperae have been reported since 2016 (iNaturalist.nz, accessed 2023) at hitherto unknown locations widespread throughout the North Island and South Island. Most of these appear to be valid records but they provide no information about the size or extent of populations. While no threats have been documented, the larger Gastrodia species are browsed by possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), and are vulnerable to plant collectors.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
None - first described in 2016
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December–January
Fruiting
January–February
Propagation technique
A parasitic species (on fungi) which should not be removed from the wild
Other information
Etymology
gastrodia: Belly tooth (flower centre)
cooperae: In recognition of Dorothy ‘Dot’ A. Cooper (1941–) who established the New Zealand Native Orchid Group and who authored the Field Guide to New Zealand orchids, which led to the recognition of this species as distinct
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
Previous 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.
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2024 | Threatened – Regionally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, NR, OL
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.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
de Lange PJ, Rolfe JR, Barkla JW, Courtney SP, Champion PD, Perrie LR, Beadel SM, Ford KA, Breitwieser I, Schonberger I, Hindmarsh-Walls R, Heenan PB, Ladley K. 2018. Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 22. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 82 p. https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs22entire.pdf
iNaturalist. 2014–present. Gastrodia cooperae observations https://inaturalist.nz/observations?taxon_id=509183. Accessed 29 December 2023.
Lehnebach, CA, Rolfe JR, Gibbins J, Ritchie P. 2016. Two new species of Gastrodia (Gastrodieae, Orchidaceae) endemic to New Zealand. Phytotaxa 277(3): 237–254. https://doi.org/10.11646/PHYTOTAXA.277.3.2
Rolfe J. 2017. Guide to New Zealand Gastrodia (Orchidaceae) (pdf, 5Mb).
Townsend AJ, de Lange PJ, Norton DA, Molloy J, Miskelly C, Duffy C. 2008. New Zealand Threat Classification manual. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 35 p. https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sap244.pdf.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (1 October 2016). Description from Lehnebach et al. (2016)