The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Corunastylis nuda

Etymology

nuda: nude or naked

Common Name(s)

red leek orchid

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Sparse

Qualifiers

2012 - EF, SO, Sp
2009 - SO, EF

Authority

Corunastylis nuda (Hook.f.) D.L. Jones et M.A. Clem.

Family

Orchidaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CORNUD

Structural Class

Orchids

Synonyms

Genoplesium nudum (Hook.f.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.; Prasophyllum nudum Hook.f.

Distribution

Indigenous. North, South and Chatham Islands, from about Great Barrier Island and Albany south. Also present in Australia.

Habitat

A species of mainly lowland to montane areas (1 - 900 m a.s.l.) favouring open shrublands including pakihi sites, skeletal soils over lying rock, peat bogs, and infertile clay bank scrub and road banks. It also grows in short grassland including pastures overlying sand, clay or gley podzols that are now dominated by introduced grasses.

Features

An erect, reed/rush-like reddish green orchid up to 500 mm tall of open or sparsely vegetated shrubland. Base of plant clad in persistent, brown, somewhat fibrous sheaths of old scale-leaves; these enclosing current tuber and remnant tubers of past seasons growth. Stem 1-3 mm diameter, dark green to red-green to reddish mottled, erect, rushlike, leafless almost up to inflorescence. Leaf very much < that inflorescence length; lamina inconspicuous, narrowly involute, shortly-sheathing. Inflorescence a raceme of 5-25 closely spaced flowers. Perianth dark red or reddish-green, narrow, horizontal, with a distinct knee projecting upwards. Dorsal sepal 2.5-3 mm, deeply concave, broadly ovate with a small apiculus; laterals definitely longer, very shortly fused (connate) at base, deeply concave, elliptic, tipped with a small spathulate, easily detached gland-like structure. Petals shorter, membranous, hair-tipped. Labellum just shorter than or equal to petals, dark red (rarely reddish-green), articulate by a narrow curved claw to long column-foot; limb broadly oblong, almost auriculate at base; callii 2, longitudinal, more or less parallel, finely and closely papillose; margins distinctly though finely ciliate, cilia usually red or red-green. Lateral processes of column as tall as anther; apices bfid with the anterior lobe more acute and very finely ciliolate. Anthers on a very short filament (almost sessile), overtopping rostellum, apiculate. Stigma about the same height as the column base.

Similar Taxa

Superficially similar to C. pumila (Hook.f.) D.L. Jones et M.A. Clem. from which it differs by its red-green to dark green (rather than yellow-green to green ) stem and leaf; much short leaf, horizontal rather than drooping, scarcely opening, reddish (rather than widely opening almost campanulate yellowish) flowers, and red rather than greenish labellum with finely ciliate margins.

Flowering

December - August

Flower Colours

Green,Red / Pink

Fruiting

January - November

Propagation Technique

Difficult - should not be removed from the wild

Threats

Apparently a naturally uncommon, biologically sparse species. However, as with G. pumila much of the habitat this species favours has been destroyed over the last 100 or so years and it is quite likely that this orchid has undergone a massive range reduction. Nevertheless probably because it has always been more wide ranging than G. pumila, it remains less threatened by continued development of lowland New Zealand. Despite this it is probably another species whose exact conservation status may require adjustment to take into account past habitat losses and continuing habitat modification. This is especially because much of its habitat remains unprotected and that which is, without periodic disturbance is likely to revert to taller vegetation unsuitable for this and other orchid species.

Chromosome No.

2n = 44

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 31 Oct 2014