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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
15. Lyperanthus, R. Br
15. Lyperanthus, R. Br.
Terrestrial herbs, often black when dry. Stems rather stout. Leaves 1–3, sheathing at the base, broad or narrow. Flowers in a terminal raceme or spike, sometimes solitary; bracts large, sheathing. Upper sepal erect, incurved, broad, concave; lateral narrow, spreading or defiexed. Petals similar to the lateral sepals. Lip shorter than the sepals, with a broad erect claw sometimes dilated, into small lateral lobes; lamina or middle lobe ovate or lanceolate, entire; disc with ridges or small calli. Column erect or incurved, not winged; stigma placed under the rostellum. Anther terminal, erect, 2-celled; pollinia 4, narrow, subterete, granular.
A somewhat ill-defined genus of 6 species, 4 of which are found in Australia, 1 in New Caledonia, and the remaining one in New Zealand.
| 1. | L. antarcticus, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. ii. 544.—Stems rather stout, 3–8 in. high. Leaves 1–3, sheathing at the base,1–2½ in. long, the upper smaller, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute, rather coriaceous; veins numerous, parallel. Flowers 1–3, greenish, horizontal or nearly so, ⅓–½ in. long; bracts large, cucullate, sheathing, ½–¾ in. long. Upper sepal large, broad, curved over the column, hooded, acute; lateral sepals and petals linear-subulate, acute. Lip with a very short claw; lamina ovate-oblong, obtuse or subacute, margins thick, disc with 5 or 6 slender longitudinal lamellæ. Column short, stout, curved.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 270.
South Island: Subalpine localities from Collingwood and the Spenser Mountains southwards, but not common. Stewaet Island: Kirk! Auckland Islands: Le Guillon, Bolton, Kirk! 2500 ft. to 4000 ft., descending. to sea-level in Stewart Island and the Auckland Islands. December–February.
The upper sepal is much broader and more hooded than in any other species of the genus, the sepals and petals are less spreading, and the column shorter and broader. |