Corybas papa

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Corybas papa
C papa side 159804403.jpg
Corybas papa in Tongariro National Park
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Corybas
Species:
C. papa
Binomial name
Corybas papa
Synonyms [1]

Corybas papa is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. [1] [2] It has a solitary wedge-shaped leaf and single translucent green flower with a strongly deflexed labellum and slender, threadlike lateral sepals and petals. [2]

Contents

Description

Corybas papa is a terrestrial, perennial herb with a solitary fleshy wedge-shaped leaf that is sessile (lacking a noticeable petiole). The tip of the leaf is apiculate, with the minute apex curved downward, and the base is heart-shaped. The leaf is dull green and slightly grooved on the upper surface, with occasionally maroon spotting primarily distributed around the margins, and the undersides are silvery. The tuberoids are roughly spherical. [2] [3]

C. papa bears minute solitary green flowers around 10–15 mm long. These flowers are connected to a very short purple-streaked peduncle that greatly elongates as the elliptical capsule (10–16 mm long) ripens. The ovary is curved and is accompanied by two slender floral bracts of unequal length; the shorter one is reduced and points towards the leaf, while the longer, at least double the length of the other bract and around the length of the ovary, points away from the leaf. [2] [3]

The flower's dorsal sepal is 15–20 mm in length and forms a slender arching hood over the labellum. It is green and faintly veined with purple. The apex is tapered and extends noticeably beyond the labellum. The lateral sepals and petals are long and filiform (thread-like, only 0.5–mm wide), far exceeding the labellum in length. They are green, sometimes speckled with maroon, and spread radially outward from the flower. The sepals (50–70 mm long) are slightly longer than the petals (40–60 mm) and point upwards, whereas the petals spread horizontally outward and are minutely lobed at the base. The labellum forms a tubelike structure near its base that abruptly curves up to 180° downwards, flattens out, and expands to form a broad oval-shaped surface visible from the front of the flower, which is called the lamina (around 6–8 mm across). The throat of the labellum tube is notched, with its upper margins folded inward. The lower portion of the lamina has a slightly jagged border and a slightly bumpy surface. The labellum is pale green, although the tube and upper margins of the lamina are often maroon. Flowering occurs from September to October. [2] [3] [4]

The column, 2.5–3 mm long, is broadest at the base and tilted backwards. The stigma, 0.7 mm across, is shield shaped and concave, with its borders minutely fringed. The anther is crested and carries 4 pollinia in 2 pairs. The pollinia are oblong and yellow. Like other members of the Orchidoideae, the pollinia are sectile, meaning they are mealy or granular, composed of aggregated clumps of pollen that may be more easily broken apart. The rounded viscidium, which is a sticky pad connected to the pollinia, is 0.5 mm across. It is concave and white, though it matures to a green-brown. [2] [3]

C. papa closely resembles C. rivularis but can be distinguished by its predominantly green flowers, as well as its slender, more dramatically deflexed labellum. Its leaves are also sessile and more wedge-shaped. [2]

Taxonomy

The type specimen of Corybas papa was collected at the Whangamomona Saddle in Taranaki near a roadside bank at 260 m in 1992 by James Bruce Irwin and Brian Molloy. It was illustrated under the name Corybas rivularis. Later, in 1994, C. rivularis-like populations on Mt. Taranaki were recognized as a separate entity and were given the informal name Corybas "Mt Messenger". In 1996, Molloy and Irwin formally described the species, thereby separating it from a group of highly similar species, then known as the C. rivularis complex. The specific epithet (papa), a Maori term for the earth, refers to a popular name for the Tertiary marine mudstones and siltstones in the type locality. The chromosome count for this species is 2n = 36. [2]

In 2002, Brian Molloy, David Jones, and Mark Clements transferred the species into the genus Nematoceras under the name Nematoceraspapa. In 2003, Dariusz Szlachetko attempted to transfer the species to the genus Corysanthes, but the change was not widely recognized and the species remained within Nematoceras. However, in a 2014 dissertation that analyzed DNA markers from Corybas species occurring from the Himalayas to New Zealand, Stephanie Lyon indicated that Nematoceras and other genera that Molloy, Jones, and Clements had segregated ought to be returned to Corybas . Since then, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and the New Zealand Department of Conservation has recognized these changes, and N. papa returned to its original name, Corybas papa. [5] [2] [3]

Ecology

C. papa is presumed to be pollinated by fungus gnats. It was observed in lab cultivation that Mycetophila gnats visiting flowers of C. iridescens , a related species in the C. rivularis complex, avoided C. papa, suggesting a reproductive barrier that may have contributed to speciation. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Corybas papa is endemic to the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island. It is known to occur from Port Waikato to the western Ruahine Range. It grows in coastal to montane habitats in calcium-rich papa substrates such as those consisting of mudstone and siltstone (for which it is named). It also grows in basaltic substrates. It usually grows near seepages or on the mossy banks of slow-flowing streams. [2] [3] [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Corybas</i> (plant) Genus of orchids

Corybas, commonly known as helmet orchids, is a genus of about 120 species of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Helmet orchids are small, perennial, deciduous herbs and are nearly always terrestrial. They have a single leaf at their base and a single flower on a short stalk, the flower dominated by its large dorsal sepal and labellum. Species of Corybas are found in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, southern China, many Pacific islands and a few sub-Antarctic islands.

<i>Caleana</i> Genus of flowering plants

Caleana, commonly known as duck orchids, is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae that is found in Australia and New Zealand. The Australian species are found in all states but have not been recorded in the Northern Territory. Duck orchids have a single leaf and one or a few, dull-coloured, inconspicuous flowers. Most species are found in Western Australia but one species occurs in eastern Australia and one occurs in eastern Australia and New Zealand. Orchids in this genus as well as the hammer orchids (Drakaea) are pollinated by male thynnid wasps.

<i>Corybas aconitiflorus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas aconitiflorus, commonly known as the cradle orchid or spurred helmet orchid, is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to eastern Australia, occurring from south-east Queensland to Tasmania. The small flowers have a hooded appearance as the uppermost sepal hides most of the rest of the flower. It is the type species of the genus Corybas.

Prasophyllum hectori, commonly known as the swamp leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a single tubular, dark green leaf and up to eighty scented, yellow-green flowers with red or brown marking. It is similar to P. colensoi, the only other species of Prasophyllum found in New Zealand, but is distinguished from it by its larger size, larger number of flowers and swampy habitat.

Corybas globulus is a species of helmet orchid endemic to a small area of the New England Tableland in northern New South Wales. It is a relatively small orchid with a bright green, heart-shaped leaf and a bulbous, dark reddish purple flower.

<i>Corybas acuminatus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas acuminatus, commonly known as the dancing spider orchid or helmet flower, is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a triangular, sharply pointed leaf and a small translucent, greenish-white flower with purple markings and with very long sepals. It is found on both the main islands of New Zealand and also some of the off-shore islands.

<i>Corybas barbarae</i> Species of orchid

Corybas barbarae, commonly known as fairy lanterns, is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to eastern Australia including Lord Howe Island. It has a single dark green or reddish green, heart-shaped leaf and a small sparkling white or pinkish flower with an inflated dorsal sepal obscuring its hairy labellum.

Corybas cerasinus, commonly known as the red helmet orchid, is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to tropical north Queensland. It has a single bluish green, heart-shaped leaf and a cherry red to dark maroon flower with its curved dorsal sepal obscuring its labellum which has an upturned tip.

<i>Corybas cheesemanii</i> Species of orchid

Corybas cheesemanii, commonly known as Cheesemans spider orchid or spurred helmet orchid, is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It is a small orchid with a single pale green, heart-shaped leaf and usually only a single flower variously coloured from maroon to completely white. It usually grows in deep shade, often in deep leaf litter and flowers in autumn and winter.

<i>Corybas confusus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas confusus, commonly known as the spider orchid is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a single heart-shaped leaf and a single dark green or light green flower with reddish maroon streaks and blotches and long, thread-like lateral sepals and petals. It grows in highland areas on both main islands.

<i>Corybas cryptanthus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas cryptanthus, commonly known as the hidden spider orchid or icky, is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has no obvious leaves and the mostly white flower is usually buried in leaf litter. The plant is usually only detected by its fruiting capsule which is borne on a stem which elongates up to 280 mm (10 in) high.

Corybas montanus, commonly known as the montane helmet orchid, is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to Queensland. It forms small colonies and has single heart-shaped to round leaf and a reddish, self-pollinating flower with a curved dorsal sepal. It is only known from the Mount Barney National Park in south-east Queensland.

<i>Corybas oblongus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas oblongus is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a solitary oval-shaped leaf, often patterned with maroon, and a reddish-purple and white flower with a fimbriate labellum.

<i>Corybas obscurus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas obscurus is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a solitary heart-shaped leaf and a deep crimson or nearly black flower and is part of the Corybas trilobus aggregate.

<i>Corybas trilobus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas trilobus is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It is part of the C. trilobus aggregate, whose members are characterized by a funnel or dish-shaped labellum and an often heart or kidney-shaped solitary leaf.

<i>Corybas sanctigeorgianus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas sanctigeorgianus is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the C. trilobus aggregate, whose members are characterized by a funnel or dish-shaped labellum and an often heart or kidney-shaped solitary leaf.

<i>Corybas hatchii</i> Species of orchid

Corybas hatchii is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a solitary rounded leaf, often flecked with maroon, and a single pale green and maroon flower with long, threadlike lateral sepals and petals.

<i>Corybas hypogaeus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas hypogaeus is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to the New Zealand. It is part of the C. trilobus aggregate, whose members are characterized by a funnel or dish-shaped labellum and an often heart or kidney-shaped solitary leaf.

<i>Corybas iridescens</i> Species of orchid

Corybas iridescens is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to the New Zealand. It has a solitary fleshy oval-shaped leaf and a single deep crimson flower, sometimes accompanied with green, with a tapering dorsal sepal.

<i>Corybas papillosus</i> Species of orchid

Corybas papillosus is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to the New Zealand. It has a solitary rounded leaf with a heart-shaped base and a single flower with a long, slender green dorsal sepal, as well as a crimson and white labellum.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Corybas papa". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Molloy, B. P. J.; Irwin, J. B. (1996-03-01). "Two new species of Corybas (Orchidaceae) from New Zealand, and taxonomic notes on C. rivularis and C. orbiculatus". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 34 (1): 1–10. doi: 10.1080/0028825X.1996.10412686 . ISSN   0028-825X.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Corybas papa". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  4. 1 2 "Corybas papa - Spider Orchid". www.nativeorchids.co.nz. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  5. ↑ Lehnebach, Carlos (2016). "New combinations and a replacement name for three New Zealand spider orchids (Corybas)" (PDF). The New Zealand Native Orchid Journal. 139: 4–5.

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