Plant
40-60 mm tall. Leaf sessile 30-35mm long, oblong often with a short pointed tip. The flower held well clear of the leaf on a long ovary.
Flowers
With dorsal sepal extending well beyond labellum flecked in deep maroon. Auricle usually pointing forwards. Labellum maroon outside, midlobe broadly trapezoidal, typically green with the upper edges of the labellum wings blotched maroon; normally covered in short hairs or raised tubercles. Tip blunt with a short point and often incurled.
Flowering
September - November.
Habitat
Wet shady seepages, stream banks with good light; wet shady road cuttings. Whangarei south to Nelson and the West coast.
Conservation
Common, not threatened.
Notes
Often shares habitat with C. iridescens, C. acuminatus, C. orbiculatus, C hatchii or C. trilobus in areas where these grow. Voucher specimen (CHR518313; “whiskers”)
Key features
Hairy midlobe, flower well above leaf on a long ovary and forward pointing auricles.
