Gastrodia cunninghamii
Common names
black orchid, black potato orchid, perei
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Brown, White
Detailed description
Terrestrial, saprophytic, deciduous, fleshy, perennial herb lacking chlorophyll. Plant at flowering up to 1.4 m tall. Rhizome mycorrhizal, tuberous, rather swollen, short-lived, extensively branched, individual sections up to 250 x 50 mm, dull pale brown to brownish-black, often covered in chartaceous scales and scale-leaves, especially toward the active apex. Stem 4–10 mm diameter, dark brown to brown-black with lighter brown coloured, small spots, erect, stout or slender, rather brittle when fresh. Scale leaves widely spaced, chartaceous. Flowers up to 100, unscented, erect to pendulous (rarely with the flower touching the stem axis), tuberculate, tubercules paler in colour. Perianth 14–20 × 4–6 mm, brownish, brownish-black, or greenish; lobes slightly thickened toward margins. Lateral sepals fused slightly above the gibbous base but with their margins lying close together, often more or less overlapping. Labellum 10 × 4 mm, white or cream, membranous, not irritable, completely enclosed within floral tube (apex just visible), oblong, trilobed, base thickened, twisted and fused for most of length of perianth-tube, lateral-lobes with upturned, irregular, crenate-cristate, margins; mid-lobe yellowish with flat but irregular margins, bearing several long median, cristate, yellowish calli, apex black or brown. Column much shorter than labellum, wing minute, present as a more or less curved process; anther terminal, erect and bending forwards, short and broad, operculate, filament transversely pleated at the back, pollen breaking into angular granules; stigma basal, immediately below anther, broadly ellipsoid, hollow; rostellum flap-like, positioned under anther.
Similar taxa
Gastrodia cunninghamii is most likely to be confused with G. cooperae and G. molloyi, species from which it is easily distinguished by the short rather than long column (thus the column is not visible at the flower mouth). From G. sesamoides it is distinguished by the tuberculate surfaces of the stem and flowers, and short, rather than long column.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island (uncommon north of Waikato), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands.
Habitat
Usually montane and mostly in forests dominated by beech (Fuscospora (R.S.Hill & J.Read) Heenan & Smissen). Often found in montane pine forest plantations. Sometimes found at lower elevations in dark hollows within forest, especially in naturally cold sites.
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
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–March
Fruiting
December–May
Life cycle
Minute seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
A saprophytic species which should not be removed from the wild. Difficult to grow.
Other information
Cultural Use/Importance
The tubers were a much sought after food by Māori.
Etymology
gastrodia: Belly tooth (flower centre)
cunninghamii: Named after Allan Cunningham (1791–1839) who was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels to Australia (New South Wales) and New Zealand to collect plants. Author of Florae Insularum Novae Zelandiae Precursor, 1837–40 (Introduction to the flora of New Zealand).
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.
GASCUN
Chromosome number
2n = c.40, 40
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Given DR. 1959. An unusual occurrence of Gastrodia cunninghamii Hooker. Auckland Botanical Society Journal 16: 3–4.
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
Rolfe J. 2017. Guide to New Zealand Gastrodia (Orchidaceae) (pdf, 5Mb)
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
Fact Sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (14 April 2008). 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): Gastrodia cunninghamii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/gastrodia-cunninghamii/ (Date website was queried)