Waireia stenopetala
Common names
yellow beaks, beak orchid, horizontal orchid,
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Detailed description
Summer-green, leafy, glabrous, tuberous, perennial herb. Tubers paired or in threes, globose to conical. Plant at flower up to 400 mm tall, plant sharply elongating at fruiting. All parts fleshy. Stem erect, terete. Leaves (1)–2–(3), widely spaced and reducing in size up stem, basal leaf 80-150 x 15-20 mm, dark green, narrow-lanceolate to lanceolate, concave, apex acute, dark green to bronze green, rarely flecked brown. Floral bracts closely sheathing and overtopping ovary, leaf-like, colour as for leaves. Flowers (1)–3–(6) in short racemes, inclined away from bracts. Perianth 10–20 mm long, yellow-green, or green, usually spotted red-brown. Sepals acute; dorsal sepal rather broadly ovate, cucullate, deeply concave, arching over and obscuring most of the rest of the flower; lateral sepals smaller, yellow-green or green, linear, sharply deflexed. Petals slightly shorter again, yellow-green or green, linear-lanceolate, subacute, deflexed or patent. Labellum erect, broad-ovate, narrowed abruptly to a short fixed claw; margin entire, callose ridges present and extending toward labellum apex. Column elongate-cylindric, curved, wing very narrow, finely lobed about anther. Anther terminal, papillose, with two initially coherent, pollinia per cell, finely granular. Stigma prominent, discoid; rostellum median.
Similar taxa
None
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (known only from the eastern slopes of Mt Ruapehu and from the Tararua Range), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Habitat
Wet, peaty places at higher elevations in the north, down to sea level in the south.
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
Lyperanthus antarcticus Hook.f., Thelymitra stenopetala Hook. f.
Taxonomic notes
Waireia is a recent segregate from Lyperanthus.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November–March
Fruiting
January–May
Propagation technique
Difficult—should not be removed from the wild.
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]
FAC: Facultative
Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
stenopetala: From the Greek stenos (narrow) and petalum (petal), narrow petalled
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.
WAISTE
Chromosome number
2n = 40
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
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 (1997).
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): Waireia stenopetala Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/waireia-stenopetala/ (Date website was queried)