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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Orchidaceae
Corybas unguiculatus

Citation: Reichb. f., Beitr. Syst. Pfl. 43 (1871).

Synonymy: Corysanthes unguiculata R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 328 (1810). , Anzybas unguiculatus

Common name: Small helmet-orchid.

Description:
Not exceeding 3 cm high; leaf ovate-cordate, often with a tendency to become 3-lobed; undersurface generally pale-red streaked with grey, 1-3 cm long.

Flower subsessile, 5-12 mm long excluding the ovary, reddish-purple rarely to pale-pink, recurved or reflexed against an ovary; dorsal sepal reddish-purple, 8-10 mm long, suddenly contracted into a narrow claw c. 5 mm long; claw erect at the base, then much incurved; lamina orbicular, concave, c. 5-6 mm diam.; lateral sepals colourless, narrow-linear, 4.5-5.5 mm long, spreading below the labellum; petals much shorter, c. 2.5-3 mm long, colourless, very narrow-linear, often chelate, spreading on each side of the labellum; labellum exceeding the dorsal sepal in length; tubular, inflated in the mid-line; the orifice oblique, directed downwards and forwards, margins entire or almost so; a longitudinal tract of brush-like linear calli extending almost from the orifice along the middle of the lamina nearly to the extreme base; column very short, incurved, 2-winged; stigma very prominent, large, circular.

Published illustration: Pocock (1972) Ground orchids of Australia, pl. 53; Woolcock (1984) Australian terrestrial orchids, pl. 27E.

Distribution:  Forms small colonies in damp sand in stringy bark (Eucalyptus baxteri) forest. Rare.

S.Aust.: SL, KI, SE.   ?W.Aust.; N.S.W.; Vic.; Tas.   New Zealand.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: May — Oct. (June — Aug. in S.Aust.).


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available


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