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  4. Pterostylis tanypoda

Pterostylis tanypoda

Hakatere Basin, Mid Canterbury.<br>Photographer: Warren Jowett, Date taken: 15/01/2009, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0'>CC BY-SA</a>.
Young plants.<br>Photographer: Unknown, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Macraes Flat, Otago.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Date taken: 01/11/2015, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Hymenochilus tanypodus.<br>Photographer: Eric Scanlen, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Hakatere Basin, Mid Canterbury.<br>Photographer: Warren Jowett, Date taken: 15/01/2009, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0'>CC BY-SA</a>.
Shortlands.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved.
Hymenochilus tanypodus.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
MacKenzie Pass in November.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Macraes Flat, Otago.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Date taken: 01/11/2015, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Orchids

Flower colours

Blue, Green

Detailed description

Somewhat fleshy, glaucescent, inconspicuous orchid 20–100 mm tall when flowering. Stem fleshy, hidden by numerous leafy bracts. Rosette leaves numerous, 5–15 × 5–12 mm; bluish-green to glaucous (rarely yellow-green), ovate, leaf tapering gradually to a broadly winged petiole; cauline leaves similar but smaller. Inflorescence a compact raceme of 1–7 flowers, each partially enclosed within a sheathing floral bract; perianth bluish-green with pale stripes. Dorsal sepal 5–10 mm, broad, apiculate. Lateral sepals slightly shorter, almost completely fused into a flat lamina; this apically bidentate, and strongly deflexed in fully opened flower. Petals just shorter than dorsal sepal, the anterior margin smooth. Labellum short, braod, obtuse, prolonged backwards into a smoothly rounded appendage surmounted by a thick, rather prominent, forward jutting median knob. Column short, broad; wings broader than long, ciliate over most of their free margins; stigma oblong.

Similar taxa

Could only be confused with P. tristis Colenso from which it differs in its glaucescent rather than brownish-green foliage and blue-green to green rather than brownish-green flowers. In P. tristis the labellum base possesses a backward projecting decurved appendage, while in P. tanypoda the labellum is even more strongly deflexed and it is always surmounted with a prominent, smooth forward-pointing knob. While P. tristis can occasionally be glaucescent, P. tanypoda is never brown-green. The two species may grow together.

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (east of the main divide from Marlborough to Southland).

Habitat

Montane to subalpine, usually in intermontane basins, on river terraces or on low relief foothills, amongst tussock grasses, in grey scrub or in shingle. Sometimes found in grassland dominated by exotic species.

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 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: Sp, DPR, DPS, DPT

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

An apparently naturally uncommon biologically sparse species. However, its preferred habitat of open, short tussock grassland has been extensively modified and it very probably has declined in the past. The problem is one cannot quantify this. Furthermore, this species is easily overlooked and so its exact distirbution and abundance remains unclear.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Orchidaceae

Authority

Pterostylis tanypoda D.L.Jones, Molloy et M.A.Clem.

Synonyms

Hymenochilus tanypodus (D.L.Jones, Molloy et M.A. Clem.) D.L.Jones, M.A.Clem. et Molloy

Taxonomic notes

Jane et al. (2010) following a thorough rDNA (ITS) based analysis of the segregate genera erected for Pterostylis R.Br. by Szlachekto (2001) and Jones et al. (2002) found no support to continue their recognition. This view is followed here.

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

October–January

Fruiting

November–April

Life cycle and dispersal

Minute seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Propagation technique

Difficult—should not be removed from the wild

Other information

Etymology

pterostylis: Winged column

Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key

Key to native orchids of New Zealand

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.

PTETAN

Chromosome number

2n = 54

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 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP, EF, Sp

2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP, EF, Sp

2009 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DP, EF

2004 | Sparse

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

Otago: 2024 | Threatened – Regionally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, NR, PF, Sp

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

Janes JK, Duretto MF. 2010. A new classification for subtribe Pterostylidinae (Orchidaceae), reaffirming Pterostylis in the broad sense. Australian Systematic Botany 23: 260–269. https://doi.org/10.1071/SB09052.

Jones DL, Molloy BPJ, Clements MA. 1997. Six new species of Pterostylis R.Br. (Orchidaceae) from New Zealand. The Orchadian 12: 266–281.

Jones DL, Clements MA, Molloy BPJ. 2002. A Synopsis of the Subtribe Pterostylidinae. Australian Orchid Research 4: 129–146.

Szlachekto, D.L. 2001: Genera et Species Orchidalium 1. Polish Botanical Journal 46(1): 11–26.

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 for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (14 April 2007). Description based on Jones et al. (1997) - as Pterostylis tanypodus

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pterostylis tanypoda Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pterostylis-tanypoda/ (Date website was queried)

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