bracts 2 or 3, sheathing. Flowers 3–8 in a raceme from 2 in. to 6 in. long, large, handsome, blue-purple, ¾–1 in. diam. Sepals, petals, and lip broadly oblong or obovate, obtuse. Column less than half as long as the perianth, the wing continued behind the anther but much shorter than it, 3-lobed; middle lobe short and broad, emarginate or truncate; lateral lobes much longer than the middle lobe and almost equalling the anther, erect, lanceolate, acuminate, coarsely toothed. Anther broad, connective produced into a stout horn-like point.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 271.
North Island: Clay hills from the North Cape to the Waikato River, not uncommon. November–December.
A well-marked species, easily distinguished by the large blue-purple flowers, broad obtuse sepals and petals, long erect coarsely jagged (not ciliate) lateral lobes of the column-wing, and broad and short middle lobe, which is much lower than the anther. I have seen no South Island specimens, and suspect that Monro's and Lyall's plants, mentioned by Hooker in the Handbook, are nothing more than large states of T. unifiora.
6. T. imberbis, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 244.—Stem slender, wiry, often flexuous, 4–12 in. high. Leaf much shorter than the stem, narrow-linear, flexuous, thick and fleshy, grooved in front. Flowers 1–3, rarely more, short and broad, cup-shaped, ½ in. diam., flesh-coloured. Sepals and petals ⅓ in. long, broadly oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse or apiculate. Column less than half as long as the perianth; the wing continued behind the anther but shorter than it, 3-lobed; middle lobe broad, truncate or obscurely 2-lobed, minutely warted on the back, margin thick, entire; lateral lobes longer, pointing forwards and upwards, triangular, acute, irregularly denticulate, without cilia. Anther large, connective produced into a blunt point much exceeding the column-wing.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 271.
North Island: Clay hills from the North Cape to Rotorua, not uncommon. Sea-level to 1500 ft. October–November.
In the original description the flowers are said to be yellow, but they are flesh-coloured in all the specimens I have seen. It is probably identical with the Australian T. carnea, R. Br.
7. T. venosa, R. Br. Prodr. 314.—Stem stout or slender, 9–18 in. high or more. Leaf shorter than the stem, narrow-linear, thick, channelled. Flowers 3–6, large, handsome, purplish-blue, 1 in. diam. Sepals and petals ½ in. long, oblong or elliptic-oblong, obtuse or minutely apiculate, conspicuously veined; lip obovate, obtuse. Column short, stout, not half the length of the perianth; wing not continued behind the anther but with 2 erect lateral lobes which exceed the anther, lobes narrow-triangular, 1–2-toothed near the tip, which is usually twisted inwards. Anther rather short, ovate, connective narrowed into a short bifid beak not so long as the lateral lobes.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vi. 323. Epiblema grandiflorum, Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 357 (not of B. Br.).
