Caladenia concolor

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Crimson spider orchid
Caladenia concolor.jpg
Caladenia concolor growing near "Fairy Park"
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. concolor
Binomial name
Caladenia concolor
Synonyms
  • Caladenia patersonii var. concolor(Fitz.) J.H.Willis & Court
  • Arachnorchis concolor(Fitz.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
  • Calonemorchis concolor(Fitz.) Szlach.

Caladenia concolor, commonly known as the crimson spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-east of Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf, and one or two hairy, dark purplish-red flowers.

Contents

Description

Caladenia concolor is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber. It has a single, sparsely hairy, narrow lance-shaped leaf up to 8–15 cm (3–6 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide. [2] [3] [4] [5]

One or two flowers 80 mm (3 in) wide are borne on a spike up to 25 cm (10 in) tall. The sepals and petals are dark purplish-red to crimson, 25–45 mm (1–2 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide at the base and taper to a long, thin, drooping "tail". The petals are similar to the sepals except that they are shorter. The tail is densely covered with glands. The labellum is egg-shaped, 5–13 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide, dark purplish-red and curves downwards at the tip. Its sides turn upwards and are fringed with teeth up to 3 mm (0.1 in) long and there are four crowded rows of foot-shaped calli along its centre line. Flowering occurs from September to November and the flowers are reported to "smell like a hot motor" or to have a "distinctly mandarin-flavoured smell". [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia concolor was first formally described in 1928 by Robert D. FitzGerald from a specimen collected "from the granite hills near Albury". The description was published in Fitzgerald's book Australian Orchids [1] [8] and the specific epithet (concolor) is a Latin word meaning "uniformly coloured". [9]

Two forms of the crimson spider orchid, currently known as Bethungra spider orchid and Burrinjuck spider orchid are expected to be described as new species. [5]

Distribution and habitat

Caladenia concolor grows on granite ridges and slopes with dry open forest in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales. It is known from two locations in Victoria near Beechworth and Chiltern. In New South Wales there are three populations, on private property near Bethungra, in the Burrinjuck Nature Reserve and in the Nail Can Hill Reserve near Albury. The first two of these New South Wales populations may be described in the future as new species. [3] [5] [4] [10]

Conservation

Crimson spider orchid is listed as "Endangered" under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and as "Vulnerable" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 . None of the populations includes more than a few hundred individual plants. [4] The main threats to its survival are habitat loss, weed invasion and grazing by livestock and rabbits. [11] Seeds of the species have been successfully germinated with the associated mycorrhiza with plans to introduce cultivated plants into the wild. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

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 arenaria</i> species of plant

Caladenia arenaria, commonly known as the sand-hill 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, densely hairy leaf and one or two white or pale yellow flowers with maroon tips. Formerly much more widespread, it is now only known from about two thousand individual plants in five locations in the Riverina area and is classed as "Endangered".

Caladenia audasii is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a rare ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single yellow flower.

Caladenia brachyscapa is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to Victoria and possibly Clarke Island in Bass Strait. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a reddish-pink flower with thick, black, club-like swellings on the petals and sepals. Although formally described in 1988 living specimens have not been observed since 1979.

Caladenia bryceana subsp. cracens, commonly known as the northern dwarf spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single spreading, hairy leaf and a single green to apricot-coloured flower. It is a small orchid and difficult to find, even when quite abundant in a particular location. It has a more northerly distribution than subspecies bryceana which grows closer to Albany.

<i>Caladenia cardiochila</i> species of plant

Caladenia cardiochila, commonly known as thick-lipped spider-orchid, fleshy-lipped caladenia and heartlip spider-orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria and South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two yellowish-green, red-striped flowers on a thin, wiry stem.

<i>Caladenia clarkiae</i> species of plant

Caladenia clarkiae, commonly known as pink caps, 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 Victoria and New South Wales. It has a single leaf and usually one or two white to pale pink flowers with darker pink tips.

Caladenia colorata, commonly known as coloured spider-orchid, small western spider-orchid and painted spider-orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia and possibly Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf, and usually a single creamy-green flower with blood-red or purple-brown markings and with dark tips on the petals and sepals.

<i>Caladenia congesta</i> species of plant

Caladenia congesta, commonly known as black-tongue caladenia, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf, and up to three bright pink flowers with the central part of the labellum completely covered with black calli. It is a widespread species but not common in any part of its range.

<i>Caladenia filamentosa</i> species of plant

Caladenia filamentosa, commonly known as daddy-long-legs, 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 four, usually dark red flowers with long, drooping lateral sepals and petals.

<i>Caladenia flavovirens</i> species of plant

Caladenia flavovirens, commonly known as the summer spider orchid, or the Christmas spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria in Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two pale greenish-yellow flowers.

<i>Caladenia formosa</i> species of plant

Caladenia formosa, commonly known as the large crimson spider orchid, or elegant spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria and South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single crimson-coloured flower and which mainly occurs only in south-western Victoria.

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 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.

<i>Caladenia phaeoclavia</i> species of plant

Caladenia phaeoclavia, commonly known as the brown-clubbed spider orchid is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single, hairy leaf and a single light to dark green flower with red stripes and thick, brownish club-like tips on the sepals.

<i>Caladenia rosella</i> species of plant

Caladenia rosella, commonly known as the rosella spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single scented pink flower. Although it may have had a wider distribution in the past, the total number of plants in 2000 was estimated to be 120 in four populations in Victoria. There is a single record from New South Wales but the orchid is classified as "extinct" in that state.

<i>Caladenia tessellata</i> species of plant

Caladenia tessellata, commonly known as the thick-lip spider-orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two yellowish-green flowers with dark red markings.

<i>Caladenia versicolor</i> species of plant

Caladenia versicolor, commonly known as the candy spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf and one or two white, pink or purplish flowers. Only about one thousand plants in two populations have been recorded and the species has been declared as "vulnerable".

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.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Caladenia concolor". APNI. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 Bernhardt, Peter. "Caladenia concolor". Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Jeanes, Jeff. "Caladenia concolor". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: VicFlora. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Recovery plan for the Crimson Spider Orchid (Caladenia concolor)" (PDF). Government of New South Wales, Offic of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Crimson Spider Orchid - profile". Government of New South Wales, Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Media release - new hope for rare orchids" (PDF). Australian National Botanic Garden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  7. 1 2 Fogarty, Nick (4 April 2014). "Breakthrough may save rare Riverina orchid". ABC Goulburn Murray . Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  8. Fitzgerald, Robert D. (1882). Australian Orchids (Volume 1) 7. Sydney: Thomas Richards, Government Printer. p. 8. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  9. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 227.
  10. "Crimson Spider Orchid (Caladenia concolor)" (PDF). Government of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  11. "Conservation Advice, Caladenia concolor" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 29 December 2016.