''Corybas oblongus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of terrestrial

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. It has a solitary oval-shaped leaf, often patterned with maroon, and a reddish-purple and white flower with a fimbriate labellum.

Description

''Corybas oblongus'' is a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

with a single distinctively oval-shaped sessile leaf that is 10–40 mm long. The leaf often has slightly undulated edges and characteristic maroon patterning, which may appear as flecks or veining. The leaf is green on the upper surface and silvery red or silvery green on the lower surface. The dorsal

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

is slightly longer than the labellum and forms a hood over the lip and is broad at the apex; it ranges from white (rarely) to pale green, flecked with purple or red. The lateral sepals range from crystalline white to maroon and are long and filiform (thread-like). The

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s resemble the lateral sepals but are slightly shorter. The labellum faces horizontally or is tilted slightly upwards and is 5–10 mm long. It is curved at its base, forming a cylindrical opening with a flared, highly fimbriate (toothed) mouth. The surface of the posterior half of the labellum has many hair-like structures that are curved backwards. Flowering occurs from September to February. The capsule is borne on a peduncle that elongates after flowering, like several other ''Corybas'' species. When not in flower, ''Corybas oblongus'' may be occasionally confused with the leaves of ''

Corybas acuminatus ''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 ...

'', which also has undulated margins and maroon patterning that ranges from flecking to veining. Generally, the two can be distinguished because ''C. acuminatus'' has heart-shaped leaves with sharply pointed apices; however, flowers may be required to identify individuals with weakly pointed leaves. The only species that shares a fimbriate labellum is '' Corybas cryptanthus''; however, this species is leafless and lacks chlorophyll.

Taxonomy

''Corybas oblongus'' was first formally described in 1853 by

Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

and given the name ''Nematoceras oblongum''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''oblongus'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

word meaning "oblong" and refers to the oblong-ovate shape of the leaf. The description was published in Hooker's '' Flora Novae-Zelandiae''. In 1864, Hooker changed its name to ''Corysanthes oblonga''. In 1871, Heinrich Reichenbach changed its name to ''Corybas oblongus''. In 2002, Brian Molloy, David Jones, and Mark Clements proposed changing ''C. oblongus'' to ''Singularybas oblongus''; however, the change has not been accepted by the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected pl ...

Distribution and habitat

''Corybas oblongus'' grows in coastal and subalpine habitats up to 1200 m above sea level, including shrubland, forests and peat bogs. It occurs on both the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

and the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasma ...

, as well as the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) ( Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about t ...

and the Antipodean Islands.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15434870 oblongus Endemic orchids of New Zealand