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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
9. Prasophyllum, R. Br
9. Prasophyllum, R. Br.
Terrestrial glabrous herbs. Root of globose or ovoid tubers. Leaf solitary; sheath usually long; lamina terete, long or short, sometimes reduced to a short erect point. Flowers small, sessile in a lax or dense spike, reversed so that the lip is uppermost, usually abruptly bent at the top of the ovary and consequently spreading or reflexed. Upper sepal (inferior by the reversion of the flower) lanceolate or oblong, concave, usually arched over the column; lateral (superior) as long or rather longer, lanceolate or linear, free or more or less connate. Petals equalling the sepals or shorter, lanceolate or linear. Lip superior, sessile or shortly clawed, or sessile on the produced foot of the column, usually erect at the base and concave, spreading or recurved above, ovate or lanceolate, undivided; margins entire or undulate; disc with an adnate plate or longitudinally thickened along the median line. Column very short, not winged, but furnished with 2 erect lateral lobes; rostellum usually long, erect. Anther erect, placed behind the rostellum which often exceeds it, 2-celled; pollinia attached by a linear caudicle to the rostellum.
page 675Species about 30, all confined to Australia, with the exception of one from New Caledonia and four from New Zealand, two of which seem to be the same as Australian species. The genus is closely allied to Microtis, but is at once distinguished by the reversed flowers and large lateral lobes to the column.
A. Euprasophyllum. Lip sessile at the base of the column. Perianth ⅓–⅕ in. long.
Tall, 1–3 ft. high. Flowers ¼–⅓ in. Lip large, with a con- spicuous recurved lamina; adnate plate not nearly reaching the tip 1. P. patens. Smaller, 4–12 in. Flowers ⅕ in. Lip shorter, with a smaller recurved lip; adnate plate extending almost to the tip. 2. P. Colensoi. B. Genoplesium. Leaf reduced to a sheathing bract just under the spike. Lip articulated on to a flat ribband-like projection from the base of the column, usually mobile. Flowers very small, 1/10–1/12 in. long.
Perianth pointing downwards, green. Lateral sepals ovate-lanceolate, not tipped with a gland. Lip oblong, 3. P. pumilum. Perianth horizontal, reddish. Lateral sepals narrow- lanceolate, acuminate, tipped by a minute gland. Lip lanceolate 4. P. rufum.
| 1. | P. patens, R. Br. Prodr. 318.—Stem stout or slender, 1–3 ft. high. Leaf sheathing the stem half-way up or rather more, the lamina shorter or longer than the spike. Spike rather lax, 2–5 in. long, many-flowered; bracts small, broad, obtuse. Flowers¼–⅓ in. long, pale yellowish-green or whitish, sweet-scented. Ovary obo- void. Upper sepal ovate, acute, concave; lateral rather longer, lanceolate, quite free. Petals linear-oblong, obtuse. Lip sessile, as long as the sepals, erect at the base and then suddenly reflexed between the lateral sepals; adnate plate narrower than the disc and not extending much further up than the flexure of the lip; margins broad, thin, undulate. Column short; lateral lobes linear- oblong, obtuse, almost as long as the narrow erect rostellum, entire- Anther large, pointed, not quite equalling the rostellum.—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 11, t. 111; Benth. Fl. Austral. vi. 339.
North Island: Auckland—Swamps at Maungatapere, Whangarei, Carse! Great Barrier Island, Kirk! Taranaki—Ngaire Swamp, abundant, T. F. C., December–January. Easily distinguished from P. Colensoi by the much greater size, larger paler flowers, and longer lip, which has a much more conspicuous recurved lamina, the adnate plate not extending to the tip. The lateral lobes of the column are also much longer. It agrees well with Australian specimens of P. patens, except that the spike is usually denser. |
| 2. | P. Colensoi, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 241.—Stem stout or slender, erect, 4–14 in. high. Leaf sheathing the stem for three- quarters its length or even more; lamina shorter than the spike or equalling it. Spike 1–3 in. long, many-flowered; bracts as short as the pedicel, broad, obtuse. Flowers about ⅕ in. long, dull-green or greenish-brown, slightly fragrant; ovary obovoid, gibbous. Upper sepal ovate-oblong, acute, concave; lateral rather longer, connate at the very base, lanceolate, acute, curved backwards. Petals linear-oblong, obtuse. Lip shorter than the sepals, sessile, ovate, tip acuminate, shortly recurved, adnate plate extending almost to the tip, margins undulate. Column very short, lateral lobes broadly notched, shorter than the rostellum. Anther broad, obtuse, not equalling the rostellum.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 272. (?) P. paucifiorum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst, xviii. (1886) 273.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Antipodes Island: Prom the North Cape southwards, but rare and local to the north of Lake Taupo. Sea-level to 4500 ft. November–January. A most abundant subalpine plant all through the mountains of the South Island. For some remarks on the fertilisation, see a paper by Mr. Thomson in the Trans. N.Z. Inst. xi. 425. |
| 3. | P. pumilum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 242.—Very slender,. 6–16 in. high. Stem with a lacerated fibrous sheath at the base. Leaf reduced to a sheathing bract near the spike; lamina ½–1 in. long, erect, usually reaching about half-way up the spike. Spike page 676dense, few- or many-flowered,½–1½ in. long. Flowers minute, the perianth about 1/10 in. long, curved, pointing downwards, greenish. Upper sepal ovate, acuminate, concave; lateral rather longer, free, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. Petals the same shape as the lateral sepals, but shorter, and with the tips almost aristate. Lip articulate on a flat ribband-like projection from the foot of the column, mobile, oblong, acute, truncate at the base, not ciliate, disc almost wholly occupied by a thick adnate plate, which is obscurely 3 - grooved towards the base. Column short, the lateral lobes broad, obliquely truncate and irregularly 2–3-notched at the tip. Anther large, apiculate, overtopping the small rostellum.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 273.
North Island: Auckland—Dry hills from the North Cape to the Middle Waikato, not common. April–June. |
| 4. | P. rufum, R. Br. Prodr. 319.—Very similar in size and habit to P. pumilum, and like it with the leaf reduced to a sheathing bract just below the spike, the lamina very short and subulate. Spike few- or many-flowered, ½–¾ in. long. Flowers still more minute than in P. pumilum, the perianth about 1/12 in. long, horizontal, reddish or yellowish. Upper sepal ovate, acuminate, concave; the lateral much longer, quite free, lanceolate, acuminate, the points tipped with a small gland. Petals small, lanceolate, shorter than the upper sepal. Labellum articulate on a flat rib-band-like projection from the foot of the column, mobile, lanceolate, acute, truncate at the base, adnate plate occupying most of the disc, thickest along the margins. Column very short, the lobes rather narrow, 2-toothed at the tip. Anther large, apiculate, over-topping the small rostellum.—-Benth. Fl. Austral. vi. 344; Fitzgerald, Austral. Orch. ii. pt. 4. P. nudum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 242; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 272. P. tunicatum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 242. (?) P. variegatum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 208.
North Island: "Te Hawara, Port Nicholson, and Lake Taupo, Colenso" (Handbook). South Island: Marlborough — Port Underwood and Keneperu, Macmahon! The above description is drawn up from Mr. Macmahon's specimens, which correspond fairly well with the plate of P. rufum given by Mr. Fitzgerald in his "Australian Orchids." It is distinguished from the preceding species by the smaller horizontal usually reddish flowers, narrower lateral sepals tipped by a minute gland, much narrower lip, the adnate plate on which is thickest on the edges, and in the narrower lateral lobes of the column. |