Cordyline banksii < Species index > Corynocarpus laevigatus
August in the hills with Michele Dickson and Chris Horne
Corybas trilobus agg, , Common spider orchid
Photo: Kevin Matthews
Origin of the botanical name
Corybas comes from a Greek word meaning 'helmet' – referring to the shape of the flower; trilobus means 'three-lobed', referring to the leaf shape; 'agg.' means that the species has several forms. There are about twenty-two species of Corybas in Aotearoa, and about one hundred and twenty species in the genus, found here, in Australia, Asia, Himalayas, the Pacific and sub-Antarctic Islands.
Distribution
Corybas trilobus is endemic to New Zealand. It is found in a large range of habitats, from coastal dune forest and scrub to sub-alpine shrub-lands and mires, and particularly on moist banks and forest floors. In New Zealand it occurs on Te Ika a Māui / North Island, Te Waipounamu / South Island, Rakiura / Stewart Island, Rekohu / Chatham Island, Auckland Island and Campbell Island.
Growth habit and reproduction
Spider orchids are perennial, glabrous/hairless terrestrial herbs forming colonies from underground rhizomes or tubers. When flowering, spider orchids are 20 – 50 mm tall, with a single, large, distinctly stalked, flat rounded leaf usually set above, but sometimes below, the single flower. The leaves of Corybas trilobus are dark green, 10 – 30 mm diameter, mostly wider than long, double kidney-shaped, with a tiny, pointed central,lobe. Other local species in the Wellington region don’t have the tiny middle lobe. The flower is up to 15 mm across. The petal-like parts are highly modified, with a hood, lip and four long and thin parts like spiders’ legs, two considerably longer than the other flower parts. The hood is smooth and green, often streaked maroon, overhanging the lip which is shovel-shaped, cream with maroon stripes, flared and ragged at the lower edge. The fruiting structure is up to 200 mm tall. Flowering is from August to October, and fruiting August to April.
Uses
We have been unable to find any uses for spider orchids.
Where to find Corybas trilobus agg., Spider orchid?
Look for it in the Tararua, Remutaka and Aorangi Ranges and in the Wellington area's regional parks and native forest reserves.
In The Hills 2025-07 < Index chronological > In The Hills 2025-09