Cryptostylis subulata
Common name
duck bill orchid, large tongue orchid
Synonyms
Malaxis subulata Labill., Cryptostylis longifolia R.Br.
Family
Orchidaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Orchids
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.
CRYSUB
Chromosome number
2n = 64
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
2009 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
2004 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island (swamps north of Kaitaia and Coopers Beach). Also Australia (abundant in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania).
Habitat
Coastal to lowland peat bogs and associated slowly flowing streams and lakes. Often found growing amongst Machaerina Vahl and Schoenus L.
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).
Detailed description
Stout terrestrial orchid of peat bogs and lake margins. Leaves 1–3; petioles 10–190 mm long; lamina 30–180 × 13–40 mm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong-elliptic, light to dark green on both surfaces, apex acute, base cuneiform to tapering. Flowering stem 0.25–1 m tall; sheathing bracts 3–5, distant. Flowers 5–12, pedicellate; pedicel + ovary 15–20 mm long; sepals and petals yellow-green, stiffly spreading , linear to very narrowly deltoid, margins inrolled; sepals 22 mm long; petals 13 mm long. Labellum 20–25 mm long, oblong, red-brown, acute, margins at centre rolled back, often overlapping or meeting, resulting in a constriction at that point within the labellum, concave near anther, elsewhere convex, keeled towards tip by 2 more or less bearded ridges, and 2 finer parallel ones, all four lines terminating in a conspicuous red-brown, 2-lobed, glandular boss near apex.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
Similar taxa
None in New Zealand
Flowering
September–May
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Fruiting
November–June
Life cycle
Minute spores are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
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.
Threats
Plant collectors and wetland destruction remain continual problems within the New Zealand part of its range.
Etymology
cryptostylis: From the Greek cryptos (hidden) and stylos (style) which refers to the very short column which is obscured by the basal lobes of the labellum.
subulata: From the Latin subulam ‘awl’, meaning awl-shaped
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Description adapted from Moore and Edgar (1970).
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.
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.