Plant: extensive colonies. Leaf sessile, often with dark crimson spots.

Flowers: 10-15 mm long, ovary sitting shortly above the leaf, labellum dark maroon at the top; midlobe narrow, pale cream tapering to a point. Dorsal sepal pale green streaked red. Auricles downward pointing. Lateral sepals erect.

Flowering: September to October.

Habitat: wet, mossy stream banks often just above the flood line, waterfall spray zone and wet seepages. Coromandel and Kaimai ranges eastward to Urewera.

Conservation: none.

Notes: similar to C. “whiskers” and C. papa but occupying separate areas. Distinguished from the former by downward pointing auricles and paler colour; from the latter by the darker colour. Darker colour forms occur in the Coromandel and seem to grade to C. rivularis to the north.

Key features: ovary sitting above a clasping, sessile leaf, deep narrow midlobe narrowing to a point, surface hairless; labellum floor pointing downwards, auricle down pointing.