Zealand and Polynesia. Of the 7 New Zealand species, 2 are common Australian plants, and the remaining 5 endemic.

For a key to the New Zealand species refer to Hatch. Trans. R.S.N.Z., 75, 1945, 368.

1. Corybas aconitiflorus Salisb., Parad. Lond., 1805, t., 83 (in-correctly figured) Hatch, Trans. R.S.N.Z., 75, 1945, 367.

Up to 4 cm. high. Leaf solitary, sessile, up to 15 mm. long by 12 mm. broad, ovate- to orbicular-cordate, apiculate, repand, glaucous above, silvery below, veining vaguely embossed. Floral bract acuminate, repand, secondary bract often wanting. Flowers 1–2, sessile, purplish. Dorsal sepal very large, broadly cucullate, usually horizontal, the acute tip incurved. Lateral sepals minute, subulate, erect. Petals usually wanting, where present very minute, deflexed. Labellum largely hidden beneath the dorsal sepal. Base with 2 conical spurs. Lamina abruptly recurved. Column stout, erect, basal callus large. Anther proportionately very large. Seeding peduncle up to 15 cm.

Distribution. Australia—Queensland, N.S.W., Victoria, Tasmania; not uncommon. New Zealand—2, 3a, fairly frequent throughout in old-established Leptospermum scrub; 3b, Clevedon; 8, 1945 (R. McKenzic); 10, Westport (W. Townson); 6, New Plymouth, 5, 1946 (O. E. Gibson).

Flowers May to August. Sea level to 1,500 feet. Small groups or scattered. A very large, white-flowered form occurs in N.S.W.

2. Corybas unguiculatus (R. Br.) Rcichb. f. Beitr. Syst. Pfl., 43. Hatch, Trans. R.S.N.Z., 75, 1945, 367.

Up to 8 cm. high. Leaves 2 in the juvenile, usually but not invariably solitary in the adult, up to 3 cm. long by 3 cm. broad, broadly cordate, acute or obtuse, sessile. Floral and secondary bracts acute. Flowers 1–2, shortly pedunculate, greenish purple to grey, often deflexed. Dorsal sepal narrow at the base, broadening towards the obtuse tip. Lateral sepals linear-subulate, about half the length of the labellum. Petals similar, smaller. Labellum with 2 rounded auricles at the base. Lamina tubular, the anterior margins more or less denticulate. Labellar calli confined to the median line and extending back into the throat. Column stout, erect, basal callus prominent, another recurved at the tip. Seeding peduncle up to 10 cm.

Distribution. Australia—N.S.W., Victoria, S.A., Tasmania; rather rare. New Zealand—2, Kaitaia, 8, 1897–1900 (R. H. Matthews); Fairburn, 7, 1907 (H. Carse); Oinu, 6, 1920–4 (H. B. Matthews); Aponga (A. Thompson); 3a, Aratia, 10, 1944 (P. Hynes).

Flowers July—August. Sea level to 1,000 feet. Small groups.

Australian specimens have much larger flowers and smaller leaves than do those from New Zealand. The 2-leaved juvenile stage is not so common in Australia, but it has been recorded. (Rupp, Guide Orch. N.S.W., 1930, 92.) The accompanying illustration has been drawn up from the photographs of living plants prepared by the late H. B. Matthews The description has been adapted from Cheese-man (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 31, 1899, 351) and carefully checked against

the above photographs and recent descriptions of living Australian plants, and compared with dried specimens from both sides of the Tasman.

3. Corybas carsei (Cheesmn.) Hh. Trans. R.S.N.Z., 75, 1945, 367.

Up to 3 cm. high. Leaf solitary, sessile, up to 25 mm. long by 19 mm. broad, ovate- to orbicular-cordate. Floral and secondary bracts acute. Flowers 1–2, similar to but rather smaller than those of C. unguiculatus, from which it differs in the projecting tip to the lamina of the labellum; the labellar calli extending on either side of the median line but not back into the throat; the slender incurved column with an inconspicuous basal callus and an erect tip to the anther. Seeding peduncle up to 6 cm.

Distribution. Endemic. 2, peaty swamps at the north end of Lake Tongonge (Kaitaia); 8, 1911 (H. Carse); 9, 1919 (H. B. Matthews); 3b, Tauhei (Morrinsville); 12, 1925 (H. Carse).

Holotype. In Herb. Carse, No. 5931/1 (Canterbury Museum), Lake Tongonge, August 25, 1911, H. Carse.

Flowers July to September, sea level. Small groups in bog association containing Lepyrodia traversii F.V.M. and Lycopodium drummondii Spring.

Very close to the Australian C. fordhamii Rupp, from which it differs only in the absence of the labellar calli. Both species are undoubtedly derived from an early form of C. unguiculatus. The accompanying illustration has been drawn from Matthews' photographs and in part from Nicholl's plate of C. fordhamii (Vict. Nat. 58, 1941, 83, t.). The description has been adapted from Cheeseman (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 44, 1911, 162) and compared with specimens in the Auckland Museum. Carse (N.Z. Journ. Sci. Tech., 8, 1926, 168) gives an interesting account of the ecology of the species and its apparent dependence upon the sedge and lycopod mentioned above.

4. Corybas oblongus (Hook. f.) Reichb. f. ibid., 67. Hatch, Trans. R.S.N.Z., 75, 1945, 367.

Up to 4 cm. high. Leaf solitary or very rarely 2, sessile, up to 5 cm. long by 3 cm. broad, ovate-oblong to nearly orbicular, apiculate, glaucous above, reddish below. Floral bract acuminate, secondary bract subulate, often foliaceous. Flowers 1–2, sessile, purplish. Dorsal sepal narrow, regular, obtuse or apiculate. Lateral sepals filiform-caudate, erect, about twice the length of the labellum. Petals similar, smaller, usually sub-erect. Labellum with 2 rounded auricles at the base. Lamina tubular, the anterior margins fimbriate, with a translucent band. Column short, stout, slightly curved at the top. Basal callus conspieuous. Seeding peduncle up to 16 cm.

Distribution. Endemic—not uncommon throughout New Zealand, Stewart, and the Auckland Islands.

Flowers September to February, sea level to 4,000 feet. Small groups or scattered. Hooker's illustration under Nematoceras oblonga, Fl. Nov. Zel., 1. 1853, 250, t. 57 b can be regarded as the hypotype of the species. An apparently isolated form, in some respects intermediate between the Malayan and Australian groups.