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  4. Spiranthes australis

Spiranthes australis

Wainuiomata.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 21/02/2010, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
View into flower showing anther. Otaki Forks, Tararua Range.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 21/02/2015, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Paraparaumu.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 19/01/2009, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Paraparaumu.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 19/01/2009, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Paraparaumu.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 13/01/2009, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Paraparaumu.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 13/01/2009, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Wainuiomata.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 21/02/2010, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Otaki Forks, Tararua Range.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 21/02/2015, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Spiranthes.<br>Photographer: Nicholas J. D. Singers, Licence: All rights reserved.
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Common names

lady’s tresses, spiranthes orchid

Biostatus

Native

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Orchids

Flower colours

Red/Pink, White

Detailed description

Terrestrial, glabrescent, somewhat fleshy, perennial herb. Plant at flowering up to 1 m tall. Roots stilt-like, numerous, white, more or less swollen, clustered around stem base. Tuber broadly ovoid to ellipsoid. Stem erect, slender to stout, initially rather brittle, becoming wiry. greatly exceeding leaves. Basal leaves 2–10, obliquely erect, held in a loose basal rosette; lamina 50–200 × 5–15 mm; dark green to yellow green, often tinged reddish, narrow-elliptic, narrow-lanceolate, to lanceolate or almost spathulate tapering into a 20–100 mm long petiole; stem-bracts 2–4–(6). Inflorescence spicate. Spike 20–150 × 5–10 mm; flowers more or less crowded, subsessile, spirally around stem. Ovary glabrescent to finely glandular pubescent. Perianth 4–7 mm long, more or less tubular-cylindric, rose-pink, rose-red, red, pink or completely white. Dorsal sepal projecting forwards, column-embracing, more or less oblong, slightly concave except near the upturned apex. Lateral sepals divergent, slightly pouched at base, obtuse to subacute. Petals projected forwards, more or less oblong, more or less fused to dorsal sepal with their apices recurved. Labellum white or whitish pink with a white apex, broad and recurved at apex, more or less obscurely trilobed; mid-lobe upper margin more or less finely laciniate, much crisped, irregularly thickened; base sessile, concave, smooth, except for two prominent ovoid, lateral calli which fit beneath the stigma. Column narrow below stigma; anther obtuse, overtopping stigma; stigma broad and prominent, sometimes lacking rostellum, usually overtopped by delicate, membranous, laciniate column-wings.

Similar taxa

Easily recognised by the usually perennial habit; preference for growing in muddy or partially flooded sites within wetlands; tufted habit, numerous, fleshy more or less lanceolate leaves which in flowering plants are clustered around a single tall multibracteate flowering stem; and by the numerous, small, tubular dark pink, red or white flowers arranged in a compact left or right sided helix. The labellum tips are white and finely fringed.

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North Island, South Island, Chatham Islands.

Habitat

Coastal to montane in open sites within wetlands of varying tropic levels but most frequently seen in acidic peat bogs. Also record from lake margins, and on the banks of slow flowing streams. Occasional in seepages within tussock grassland, or in damp shingle within river beds.

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 Vulnerable | Qualifiers: Sp, DPS, DPT, EF

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

Extremely uncommon and has undoubtedly declined as wetland habitat has been lost and further populations within protected wetlands seem to require regular disturbance to flourish. There are now very few places where this orchid could be regarded as abundant.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Orchidaceae

Authority

Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl.,

Synonyms

Neottia sinensis Pers., Neottia australis R.Br., Spiranthes novae-zelandiae Hook.f., Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames.

Taxonomic notes

A range of forms occur in New Zealand, one has completely white, larger flowers with widely flaring labella,and another recorded from Motutangi and the adjacent Kaimaumau Swamp seems to be insect-pollinated. The status of threse forms needs further study. Current thought is that all of these forms are best treated as one variable species S. australis.

Endemic taxon

Indeterminate

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

January–April

Fruiting

April–July

Propagation technique

Should not be removed from the wild. However, rather easily grown in a peat filled pot kept partially submerged in a tub of water, or in a suitably permanently damp, peaty, sunny spot in the garden.

Wetland plant indicator status rating

Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]

OBL: Obligate Wetland

Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands (non-wetlands).

Other information

Etymology

spiranthes: Spiral flower

australis: Southern

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.

SPIAUS

Chromosome number

2n = 30

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 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DP, EF, Sp

2009 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DP, Sp

2004 | Not Threatened

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

Auckland: 2025 | Threatened – Regionally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, EF, PF, RR, SO

The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.

Referencing and citations

References and further reading

Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.

Attribution

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): Spiranthes australis Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/spiranthes-australis/ (Date website was queried)

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