Corybas puniceus T.P. Lin & W.M. Lin
SUMMARY
Plant: including flower 2.5-5 cm tall
Tuber: white, ovoid, usually < 3 mm in diameter, minutely scaly-pilose.
Rhizome: erect, tapering downward, pilose, the collar (the region at the root/stem interface located directly below the stem bract) is often slightly swollen
Stem: usually 1-2 cm long having a tubular stem bract at base, buried in debris, glabrous.
Leaf: cordate, usually 1 cm in diameter, cuspidate at apex, entire, pale-green and not showy on upper surface, while whitish-green and showy on lower surface, glabrous on both sides, central vein on lower surface slightly keeled and whitish
Peduncle: purplish-red, varying 2-4.5 cm long.
Bract: purplish-red, linear-lanceolate, 3.5 mm long, acuminate
Ovary: purplish-red, 4 mm long, cylindrical
Flower: solitary, purplish-red, ca. 1.1 cm long and 1.3 cm across
Dorsal sepal: concave and arched on the upper part of lip, spatulate, 10 mm long, 3 mm wide, acute
Lateral sepals: not connate at base, filiform, 5.5 mm long, base dilated ca. 0.7 mm wide
Lateral petals: filiform, usually 10 mm long, spreading
Labellum: tube-like, lower limb margins incurved and overlapping to embrace column, anterior limb recurved downward forming a curved tube with an opening about 3.8 mm across and 6 mm long, minutely serrate along front margins, rhombate-trianglular in outline and 6 x 7.2 mm when lip expanded; disc dark purplish-red, glabrous, outer surface of lip with many darker-red markings
Spurs: 2, white, horn-like, 1 mm long
Column: dark-red, forming a protruding callus-like structure in front, callus tinged with white; anthers adnate on column, anther connective membranous, covering pollinia inside; pollinia 4, in 2 pairs, powdery, yellow; rostellum circular; stigma slightly protruding.
Type: Weimin Lin s. n. (holo TAI 268952, Shyrpishan, Yunlin Co.)
Ecology: This helmet orchid has so far only been found in Shyrpishan, Yunlin Co. at an elevation of 1200 m, and grows on mossy slopes in close proximity to bamboo plantations.
Elevation: 1200 m