Caladenia ampla

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Dainty spider orchid
Clubbed Spider Orchid.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. ampla
Binomial name
Caladenia ampla
Synonyms [1]

Caladenia ampla, commonly known as the dainty spider orchid, [2] is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single flower which is sometimes yellowish-green flower with red stripes and sometimes entirely red.

Contents

Description

Caladenia ampla is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single hairy leaf, 6–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide. [3]

A single flower (rarely two) is borne on a spike up to 22 cm (9 in) high. The dorsal sepal is erect, oblong to lance-shaped, 30–37 mm (1.2–1.5 in) long and about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide. It tapers near the end which terminates in a glandular structure 6.5–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. The lateral sepals are oblong to lance-shaped, 30–37 mm (1.2–1.5 in) long, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide and end in a gland similar to the one on the dorsal sepal. The petals are 28–32 mm (1.1–1.3 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide and taper to a point. The labellum is a broad egg-shape, curves forward, 14–16 mm (0.55–0.63 in) long and 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide when flattened. The labellum is cream-coloured with red veins and a dark red tip, sometimes entirely red. There are 9 to 12 pairs of calli along the edge of the labellum, decreasing in length towards its front. There are four rows of foot-shaped calli in the centre of the labellum, also smaller towards the tip. Flowering occurs in September and October. [3]

C. ampla labelled Caladenia ampla (labelled).jpg
C. ampla labelled

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described by David L. Jones in 2006 and given the name Arachnorchis ampla. [4] [5] The description was published in Australian Orchid Research. In 2007, Gary Backhouse changed the name to Caladenia ampla and the change was published in "The Victorian Naturalist". [6] The specific epithet (ampla) is a Latin word meaning "large", [7] referring to the unusually broad labellum of this orchid. [5]

Distribution and habitat

Caladenia ampla is only known from the goldfields region of Victoria where it grows in mallee scrub and woodlands. [3]

Conservation

This species is classified as "Endangered" by the Victorian government. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Caladenia amoena</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia amoena, commonly known as charming spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae, and is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It is a ground orchid which grows singly or in small groups, has a single dark green, hairy leaf and a single yellowish-green flower with red stripes. It is only known from a few sites and has been classified as Endangered.

<i>Caladenia ancylosa</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia ancylosa, commonly known as the Genoa spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single cream-coloured flower with red markings.

<i>Caladenia clavescens</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia clavescens is a plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae and is endemic to central Victoria in Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and usually a single dark red to maroon flower.

Caladenia cremna, commonly known as Don's spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to a small area in Victoria. It is a rare ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single yellow flower with red striations.

<i>Caladenia cretacea</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia cretacea, commonly known as Stuart Mill spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to a small area in Victoria. It is a rare ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two white flowers on a hairy stalk.

Caladenia flaccida, commonly known as the flaccid spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and up to three cream-coloured, pinkish or red flowers with long, thread-like, glandular tips on the sepals and petals.

Caladenia hastata, commonly known as Mellblom's spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and up to three white to cream-coloured flowers with red markings on the labellum.

Caladenia leptochila subsp. dentata, commonly known as the toothed spider orchid, narrow-lipped spider-orchid or narrow-lipped caladenia, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It has a single leaf and one or two mostly reddish-brown flowers. It differs from subspecies leptochila in the colour of its flowers, toothed edges to its labellum, and its distribution.

Caladenia oreophila is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and a single greenish-cream flower with pale red stripes a red labellum with a greenish-cream base.

Caladenia armata is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the Australian Capital Territory. It has a single dull green leaf with purple blotches near the base, and a single cream-coloured to pink flower with red to maroon markings. It is only known from a single population containing fewer than ten plants.

Caladenia branwhitei, commonly known as the Bethungra spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to southern New South Wales. It has a single dull green leaf and one or two, usually dark red to maroon-coloured flowers. It is only known from three areas near Bethungra where it grows in ironbark forest.

Caladenia cadyi is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south coast of New South Wales. It has a single dull green leaf with purple blotches near the base, and a single greenish cream to cream flower with pink to reddish markings. It was only known from a single population which has been bulldozed and replaced with a pine plantation so that it is now probably extinct.

Caladenia douglasiorum is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to central Victoria in Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single greenish-cream to yellowish flower with red marks.

Caladenia ensigera is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two greenish cream to whitish green flowers and is only known from Alligator Gorge in the Mount Remarkable National Park.

Caladenia saxatilis is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two pale creamy-green flowers, sometimes with thin reddish lines. It occurs in the southern Flinders Ranges.

Caladenia whiteheadii is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single pale yellow flower with thick reddish tips on the sepals and petals. It is only known from a single hill near Eugowra.

Caladenia flindersica is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two cream-coloured flowers with thin dark red to blackish tips on the petals and sepals. It is only known from Alligator Gorge in the Mount Remarkable National Park.

Caladenia strigosa is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and a single greenish-cream flower with fine reddish streaks. It grows in sandy soil in shrubland.

Caladenia zephyra is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single, densely hairy leaf and a single cream-coloured to very pale yellow flower with blackish glandular hairs on the sepals and petals. It occurs on the Eyre Peninsula but may have a wider distribution.

Caladenia fuliginosa is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single relatively large, creamy-yellow flower, sometimes with reddish lines. The flowers have a smell resembling hot metal.

References

  1. 1 2 "Caladenia ampla". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Advisory list of rare and threatened plants in Victoria 2014" (PDF). The State of Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jeanes, Jeffrey. "Caladenia ampla". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: Vicflora. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. "Arachnorchis ampla". APNI. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. 1 2 Jones, David L. (2006). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 5: 50–51.
  6. "Caladenia ampla". APNI. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 86.