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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
17. Chiloglottis, R. Br
17. Chiloglottis, R. Br.
Terrestrial herbs, with small underground tubers. Leaves 2, radical or nearly so, oblong or linear-oblong. Scape 1-flowered, with a solitary bract below the flower. Upper sepal erect, incurved, concave, narrowed at the base; lateral narrow-linear or terete, spreading or reflexed. Petals lanceolate, falcate. Lip attached to the base of the column by a short or long claw, ovate or obovate, undivided; disc with variously arranged calli. Column elongated, incurved, winged; wings produced at the top into 2 erect lobes often equalling the anther. Stigma placed just under the rostel-lum. Anther terminal, erect, 2-celled; pollinia 4, granular.
page 690A small genus of 7 species, 6 of which are natives of Australia, one of them extending to New Zealand, the remaining one confined to New Zealand. The genus differs from Caladenia principally in the 2-leaved stem and in the wing of the column extending behind the anther. Caladenia bifolia has the habit of Chiloglottis, but the column-wing is that of Caladenia, in which genus I have retained it.
Stout, upper sepal broad ovate-lanceolate; lateral sepals and petals erect. Lip very shortly clawed, trowel-shaped 1. C. cornuta. Slender. Upper sepal linear-spathulate. Petals deflexed. Lip with a very long narrow claw, lamina rhomboid 2. C. formicifera.
| 1. | C. cornuta, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 69.—Usually rather stout, perfectly glabrous, 2–5 in. high. Leaves 2, close together, petiolate, spreading, 1–3 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, oblong or linear- oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acute or subacute, flat, rather fleshy when fresh; veins parallel, connected by transverse veinlets. Scape very short at first, but lengthening as the flower withers and some - times 4–8 in. long in fruit, 1-flowered or very rarely 2-flowered; bract sheathing. Flower about ½ in. diam., green, sometimes spotted with purple. Upper sepal broadly ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, erect. Lateral sepals placed in front of the lip, linear-lanceolate. Petals ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, erect. Lip triangular-cordate or trowel-shaped, acute, concave; disc with 3 large stalked rounded calli near the base, 2 linear ones on each side higher up, and 3 smaller rounded ones between them. Column curved forwards, winged; the wings expanded above and produced upwards into- 2 lobes exceeding the anther.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 269.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Antipodes Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Moist shaded places from Kaitaia and Mongonui southwards, not common. Sea-level to 3000 ft. October–December. The calli on the labellum probably vary in number and shape, judging from Hooker's description in "Flora Antarctica." |
| 2. | C. formicifera, Fitzgerald, Austral. Orch. i. 3 (1877).— Slender, delicate, 2–3 in. high. Leaves 2, close together, sessile, spreading, 1–2 in. long, linear-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, thin and membranous, margins often undulate when fresh; veins parallel, connected by transverse veinlets. Scape 2–3 in. high, 1-flowered; bract near the top, sheathing. Flower about ½ in. long. Upper sepal linear-spathulate, erect, acuminate; lateral about the same length, linear, acuminate. Petals linear-lanceolate, abruptly deflexed, about as long as the sepals. Lip horizontal or ascending, contracted below into a long and narrow claw, above - suddenly expanded into a short and broad spoon-shaped or rhomboid lamina, the tip of which is usually reflexed; disc with numerous, calli, the largest of which is placed at the base, and projects from it, with a kind of double head, towards the column; in front of this is a large flat heart-shaped gland, and rows of smaller calli reach the apex of the lip. Column arched forward, broadly winged.— Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst, xxxiii. (1901) 312.
North Island: Auckland—Kaitaia (Mongonui County), R. H. Matthews! September–October. A very remarkable little plant, previously known only from eastern Australia. Mr. Matthews's specimens agree in all respects with Mr. Fitzgerald's beautiful plate. |