The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

I'm commenting on a 70 word blurb for a DOC poster series of Nationally Critical species that don't normally get noticed by the public and what role they play in the ecosystem. The PR people have chosen Corybas carsei for the plant and pulled together this blurb. Comments? Is there a concern of collection pressure from increased interest of poster production?

Corybas Orchid
The Banded Helmet Orchid is a small shy plant, found only in the North Waikato Whangamarino Wetlands near Te Kauwhata, and it's fussy about its neighbours, growing only where wirerush sedges are present. After fires, the orchid is known to thrive due to the extra nutrients released from the burnt vegetation. These small orchids are part of the complex filtration system on the Waikato floodplain that absorbs run-off from cultivated land and returns the water to the rivers in good condition, helping many other species thrive.
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Good on you for focussing on some of the insignificant. However, where did you get the common name from?? It is more usually called swamp helmet orchid and it is Anzybas (Corybas is an old name which is now incorrect when applied to this species). Also what is a wirerush sedge? Wire rushes and similar are in the Rstionaceae which is not a rush or sedge family but are commonly referred to as restiads. I doubt that this miniature orchid itself plays much of a role in water filtration (its habitat certainly does). It is symptomatic of a healthy functioning peat bog ecosystem. It is also found in Australia - the Whangamarino site is the only NZ population currently known

Hi - NO - there is now new evidence that the proposed splits from Corybas into segregate genera are no valid, and as such DOC is using the old names in preference. Plenty of world literature out there now that shows that aside from Danhatchia, Waireia, possibly Molloybas, and Aporostylis the other genera proposed (mostly by Clements and Jones) don't work. I have not correct NZPCn website yet - but will be doing so in due course. LCR is also aware of the issue but has yet to make a decision. Corybas BTW is the last genus to be revisited using modern molecular methods - I saw a paper about this in Melbourne, ICBN Conference 2011 which was very convincing that the Corybas segregates are not valid

Also - this statement "These small orchids are part of the complex filtration system on the Waikato floodplain that absorbs run-off from cultivated land and returns the water to the rivers in good condition, helping many other species thrive" is nonsense. Corybas carsei is an accidental in the Whangamarino system, owing its origin there to past frequent fires. It, by itself does nothing whatsoever to filtrate water, and it certainly doesn't help other species in the floodplain. Indeed the restiad ecosystem it occupies ( a smal part of the Whangamarino) doesn't filtrate water either - it traps it and holds it like a sponge. There is a hydrological mix up in the myth you are working on Jon - so leave that bit out.

Lastly - who came up with the name "banded helmet orchid" - the only vernacular I have ever heard and seen used is "swamp helmet orchid". If you have to use a vernacular (I prefer you don't) then don't use a new creation that doesn't exist in most literature. I have no checked NZPCN website to see if they use this, but if they do its new on the fact sheet I wrote for them and the book we published on threatened plants in 2010

Thanks for your comments, Mike and Peter, which I have passed on. Interesting to learn a bit more about restiad ecology. I'm not sure where the vernacular "Banded helmet orchid" came from but I see it used on the NZ native orchids website. I have encouraged the team to leave the vernacular off the poster.