About Corybas hatchii Lehnebach
Corybas hatchii is a terrestrial, perennial, tuberous herb that produces a single fleshy rounded leaf on a short petiole. The base of the leaf is either rounded or slightly heart-shaped (cordate). The upper leaf surface is green, often marked with maroon flecks, while the lower leaf surface is silvery. Leaf dimensions range from 15–28 mm long by 11–20 mm wide. This species bears a single flower that sits noticeably above the leaf. The peduncle (flower stalk) is short, while the ovary is oblong, slightly ridged, and held straight or angled slightly away from the leaf. Two slender green floral bracts of unequal lengths grow alongside the ovary: the smaller bract is extremely small and points toward the leaf, while the larger bract is roughly the same length as the ovary and points away from the leaf. The flower's dorsal sepal is approximately the same length as the labellum, slender with a pointed tip, and slightly arched downward. It is translucent white to pale green, often flecked with deep crimson. The lateral sepals and petals are thread-like (filiform) and much longer than the labellum; they are pale cream with maroon spots. The labellum has two lobes (auriculate) at its base and is strongly downturned. Its main flat portion, the lamina, is broad and rhomboidal with a sharp tip. The upper margins of the labellum are folded inwards, while its lower margins are flat and have very fine teeth. The base of the labellum is dark maroon, and the lamina is translucent green or white, very often marked with crimson-maroon stripes that fade into flecks or spots near the edges. Flowering occurs from July to November. The peduncle lengthens greatly as the seed capsule ripens. Corybas hatchii resembles several closely related species, including Corybas papa, but can be distinguished by several features: its leaf is petiolate (stalked) rather than sessile (unstalked); its flowers are usually translucent to red rather than green, though they can rarely be more greenish; its lateral sepals and petals point forward and run parallel rather than spreading widely; and it occupies higher-altitude habitats with a later flowering period. Corybas hatchii is endemic to the North and South Islands of New Zealand, found mostly in the western parts of these islands. It grows in lowland to subalpine habitats, in damp seepages on base-rich substrates, including calcareous mudstones, siltstones, limestones, basalt, basaltic andesites, and andesitic tephra.
