Cyrtostylis oblonga

Cyrtostylis oblonga, commonly known as the winter orchid[3] or gnat orchid,[4] is a species of orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a single rounded leaf and a flowering stem with up to four pink or pinkish green flowers with a flat, oblong labellum.

Winter orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Cyrtostylis
Species:
C. oblonga
Binomial name
Cyrtostylis oblonga
Synonyms[2]
  • Caladenia oblonga (Hook.f.) Rchb.f.
  • Acianthus oblonga (Hook.f.) Schltr.
  • Acianthus reniformis var. oblonga (Hook.f.) Rupp & Hatch

Description

Cyrtostylis oblonga is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with a single heart-shaped to almost round leaf 10–40 mm (0.4–2 in) long and 8–17 mm (0.3–0.7 in) wide. Up to four pink or pinkish green flowers 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long are borne on a thin flowering stem up to 100 mm (4 in) high. The dorsal sepal is erect, linear to narrow lance-shaped and the lateral sepals are narrow linear and somewhat smaller than the dorsal sepal. The petals are similar in size and shape to the lateral sepals. The labellum is flat, oval, about 10 mm (0.4 in) long 4 mm (0.16 in) wide with two round calli at the base and two parallel longitudinal ridges. The column is shorter than the labellum and has two wings widening towards the tip. Flowering occurs from July to November.[3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Cyrtostylis oblonga was first formally described in 1853 by Joseph Dalton Hooker in Flora Novae-Zelandiae.[2][5] The specific epithet (oblonga) is a Latin word meaning "longer than broad".[6]

Distribution and habitat

The winter orchid grows in scrub, forest and open areas on the northern part of the North Island and on Three Kings Islands in New Zealand.[3][4]

References
  1. "Cyrtostylis oblonga". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. "Cyrtostylis oblonga". APNI. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  3. de Lange, Peter J. "Cyrtostylis oblonga". New Zealand Plant conservation Network. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. "Cyrtostylis oblonga". New Zealand Native Orchid Group. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  5. Hooker, Joseph Dalton (1853). The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror. II. Flora Novae-Zelandiae. London: Lovell Reeve and Co. p. 246. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 494.
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