Corybas abditus

Corybas abditus, commonly known as the swamp helmet orchid[2] or small helmet orchid ,[3] is a species of terrestrial orchid endemic to Western Australia. It is a rare orchid with a single bluish green, heart-shaped leaf and a small flower with an enlarged dorsal sepal and tube-shaped labellum.

Swamp helmet orchid
Conservation status
Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Diurideae
Genus:	Corybas
Species:	C. abditus
Binomial name
Corybas abditus D.L.Jones[1]
Synonyms[1]
Anzybas abditus (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Description

Corybas abditus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with a single heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaf 6–20 mm (0.2–0.8 in) long and 7–20 mm (0.3–0.8 in) wide. The leaf is bluish green with three whitish veins on the upper surface and purplish on the lower side. A single reddish purple flower 9–11 mm (0.35–0.43 in) long is borne on a stalk about 6 mm (0.2 in) high. The largest part of the flower is the dorsal sepal which is 9–11 mm (0.35–0.43 in) long and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide. The lateral sepals are white, linear, about 8 mm (0.3 in) long, 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide and held horizontally below the labellum. The petals are white, linear, about 6 mm (0.24 in) long, 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide and curve around the labellum. The labellum is tube-shaped, reddish, 10–11 mm (0.39–0.43 in) long, 4–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) wide and has three lobes, the middle one projecting under the dorsal sepal. Flowering occurs from September to November.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy

Corybas abditus was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Bakers Junction north of Albany and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[6] The specific epithet (abditus) is a Latin word meaning "hidden" or "concealed",[7] referring to the cryptic nature of this orchid and it dense habitat.[4]

In 2002, David Jones and Mark Clements proposed splitting Corybas into smaller genera and placing this species into Anzybas but the change has not been widely accepted.[8]

Distribution and habitat

The swamp helmet orchid grows in dense vegetation on small mounds in dense winter-wet swamps. It occurs in disjunct populations between Nannup and Esperance.[2][3][5][9]

Conservation

Corybas abditus is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[9] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[10]

References

1. "Corybas abditus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
2. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 166. ISBN 1877069124.
3. Brown, Andrew; Dixon, Kingsley; French, Christopher; Brockman, Garry (2013). Field guide to the orchids of Western Australia : the definitive guide to the native orchids of Western Australia. Simon Nevill Publications. p. 172. ISBN 9780980348149.
4. Jones, David L. (1991). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 2: 44–45.
5. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 276. ISBN 9780646562322.
6. "Corybas abditus". APNI. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 63.
8. Jones, D.L. (2002), "Nomenclatural notes arising from studies into the tribe Diurideae (Orchidaceae)", Orchadian, 13: 436–468
9. "Corybas abditus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
10. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 10 July 2019.