Caladenia branwhitei

Last updated

Caladenia branwhitei
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. branwhitei
Binomial name
Caladenia branwhitei
Synonyms [1]

Arachnorchis branwhitei D.L.Jones

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.

Contents

Description

Caladenia branwhitei is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and which grows in small groups. It has a single dull green leaf with reddish or purple blotches near the base. The leaf is 50–110 mm (2–4 in) long, 4–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide and is densely covered with hairs up to 4 mm (0.2 in) long. One or two flowers, each 50–70 mm (2–3 in) wide are borne on a wiry, hairy flowering stem 200–320 mm (8–10 in) tall. The flower is usually dark red to maroon-coloured, sometimes greenish, and has a hot metal scent. The dorsal sepal is 35–55 mm (1–2 in) long, about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide and tapers to a blackish glandular tip. The lateral sepals are similar to the dorsal sepal but wider and spread apart from each other. The petals are 30–45 mm (1–2 in) long, 2–3.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide and have a terminal gland similar to that on the sepals. The labellum is broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped, 13–20 mm (0.5–0.8 in) wide and 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) wide and dark red. The labellum curves downwards and there are five to seven pairs of linear, dark purplish teeth 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long on its sides. The mid-line of the labellum has four or six rows of reddish black calli, the longest of which are 2 mm (0.08 in). Flowering occurs in September and October. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia branwhitei It was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones, who gave it the name Arachnorchis branwhitei and published the description in Australian Orchid Research from a specimen collected near Bethungra. [3] In 2010, Gary Backhouse changed the name to Caladenia branwhitei. [4] The specific epithet (branwhitei) honours the conservationist and orchidologist Peter Gordon Branwhite. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This spider orchid is only known from three population in the Bethungra area, where it grows in ironbark forest. [2]

Conservation

Before its formal description, C. branwhitei was known as Caladenia sp. 'Bethungra' and had previously been included with C. concolor . C. concolor has been classed as "endangered" under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and as "Vulnerable" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 . The Bethungra spider orchid is not listed (as at 2003) but "may meet the criteria for Critically Endangered under Commonwealth legislation". [5]

Related Research Articles

Caladenia aestiva, commonly known as summer spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a ground orchid which grows singly or in small groups in the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. It has one or two greenish-yellow to pale yellow flowers, often while the single, hairy leaf withers.

Caladenia amoena, commonly known as the charming spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae, and is endemic to Victoria. 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 ampla</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia ampla, commonly known as the dainty 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 flower which is sometimes yellowish-green flower with red stripes and sometimes entirely red.

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.

Caladenia atroclavia, commonly known as the black-clubbed spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Queensland. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a pale greenish-cream coloured flower with dark purple clubs and red patches on the petals.

<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.

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

Caladenia actensis, commonly known as the Canberra spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the Australian Capital Territory. It has a single leaf and usually only one greenish flower with red markings and only occurs in three small populations.

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 leptoclavia, commonly known as the thin-clubbed spider orchid, 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 cream-coloured to yellow flower with dark reddish stripes.

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 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 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.

<i>Caladenia orestes</i> Species of plant

Caladenia orestes is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to an area in the south of New South Wales. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two cream-coloured to light reddish flowers. It grows in forest on hillsides around Burrinjuck.

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 interanea, commonly known as the inland spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single green flower with dark red stripes.

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 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. "Caladenia branwhitei". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 5: 46–47.
  3. "Arachnorchis branwhitei". APNI. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  4. "Caladenia branwhitei". APNI. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  5. "Recovery plan for the crimson spider orchid (Caladenia concolor) (including populations at Bethungra and Burrinjuck to be described as two new species)" (PDF). N.S.W. National Parks and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 30 January 2018.