Corybas hispidus 

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots >  Orchidaceae >  Corybas  hispida

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:               Bristly Helmet Orchid  

Conservation status:   . . .

Etymology:   

• The specific epithet (hispidus) is a Latin word meaning "bristly", "rough", "hairy" or "prickly"

Flowers:                  

• The single flower is reddish-purple and white with a greenish-grey dorsal sepal with red or dark purple spots

• The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped or spoon-shaped, forms a hood over the labellum and is 22–35 mm long and 11–18 mm wide when flattened 

• The lateral sepals are linear in shape, 5–9 mm long and about 1 mm wide

• The petals are about 5 mm long and 1 mm wide, linear in shape except for near their base, which is wing-shaped

• The labellum is tube-shaped, 20–30 mm long and wide and the edges have many linear teeth

• The central "boss" of the labellum is dome-shaped and white with a notch at the top and the surface is covered with short, stiff bristles

• Flowering is from March to August

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

•  It has a single dark green leaf that is more or less circular in shape, 15–35 mm long and wide and silvery-green or reddish on the lower surface

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• It  is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous herb with an underground tuber

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Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

•  Endemic to eastern Australia

• South-east Queensland, on the ranges and tablelands of New South Wales and in sheltered sites in far north-eastern Victoria

Additional notes:     

• It is distinguished from other helmet orchids by its autumn to winter flowering period, and by its labellum, which has a bristly-hairy, creamy-white centre and is deeply notched along its top edge

• Taxonomy 

  • Corybas hispidus was first formally described in 1973 by David Jones from a specimen found near the village of Wulgulmerang

  • The description was published in The Victorian Naturalist

  • It was the first of many orchids described by Jones

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corybas_hispidus (2023)