Caladenia cristata

Last updated

Crested spider orchid
Status DECF P1.svg
Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. cristata
Binomial name
Caladenia cristata
Synonyms
  • Calonema cristatum (R.S.Rogers) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
  • Phlebochilus cristata(R.S.Rogers) Szlach.
  • Jonesiopsis cristata(R.S.Rogers) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Caladenia cristata, commonly known as the crested clown orchid [1] or crested spider orchid [2] is a species of orchid endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and a greenish-yellow and red flower on an unusually tall spike, considering the small size of the flower. Since its discovery in 1923 and collections made in 1923 it was thought to be extinct, until rediscovered in 1986.

Endemism ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location or habitat

Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution. An alternative term for a species that is endemic is precinctive, which applies to species that are restricted to a defined geographical area.

Contents

Description

Caladenia cristata is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single, erect, hairy leaf, 8–15 cm (3–6 in) long and about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. It usually produces a single flower 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) wide and 30–40 mm (1–2 in) long, on the end of a stalk 18–40 cm (7–20 in) tall. The flowers are greenish-yellow and red with a brownish labellum. The dorsal sepal is erect, lance-shaped and about 2 cm (0.8 in) long. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, wider than the dorsal sepal, spread widely and taper to a point. The petals are a similar shape to the sepals but narrower and about 15 mm (0.6 in) long. The labellum is brownish-red with a smooth edge and curves downward near the tip. There are densely crowded, tall, red-tipped calli in the centre of the labellum. The column is almost as long as the labellum and curves forward with two wide wings. Flowering occurs from August to late September. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Perennial plant Plant that lives for more than two years

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widely used to distinguish plants with little or no woody growth from trees and shrubs, which are also technically perennials.

Deciduous trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally

In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous (/dɪˈsɪdʒuəs/) means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit.

Herbaceous plant Plant which has no persistent woody stem above ground

Herbaceous plants are plants that have no persistent woody stem above ground. The term is mainly applied to perennials, but in botany it may also refer to annuals or biennials, and include both forbs and graminoids.

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia cristata was first formally described by Richard Sanders Rogers in 1923 and the description was published in Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia from a specimen found in the Murchison district by "Dr. E.S. Simpson". [4] [5] The specific epithet (cristata) is a Latin word meaning "tufted" or "crested" [6] referring to the tall labellum calli. [2]

Richard Sanders Rogers Australian doctor, botanist, orchidologist

Richard Sanders Rogers was a distinguished Australian medical doctor, and world authority on Australasian orchids. He described over 80 Australian orchid species, three from New Zealand and 30 from New Guinea as well as three new genera including one from New Zealand. He was a consulting physician at the Adelaide Hospital and a member of its board. He may have been the first to practise hypnotism during surgery, allowing him to remove a cyst from a woman's breast without anaesthetics "while she was still awake and talking to assistants and witnesses standing nearby."

The Royal Society of South Australia (RSSA) is a Learned Society whose interest is in Science, particularly, but not only, of South Australia. The major aim of the Society is the promotion and diffusion of scientific knowledge, particularly in relation to Natural Sciences.

Shire of Murchison Local government area in Western Australia

The Shire of Murchison covers a large area of the Murchison sub-region of the central part of Western Australia, 300 kilometres (186 mi) northeast of Geraldton. The shire and the older 'Murchison' region and goldfield are now part of the designated Mid West region. It is Australia's second least populated local government area and the only one without a town.

Distribution and habitat

The crested spider orchid was thought to be extinct when no specimens were seen after a collection made in 1932. Plants found in 1977 were initially thought to be C. cristata but were later recognised as a new species, Caladenia voigtii . Specimens were found near Miling nine years later and the species is now known to occur between Pithara, Wongan Hills and Watheroo in the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic regions, growing on higher ground above salt lakes and flats. [2] [3] [7] [8]

Caladenia voigtii, commonly known as the mohawk orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and usually only one greenish-yellow and red flower. When discovered near Salmon Gums in 1977, it was thought to be the extinct Caladenia cristata, but when C. cristata was found near Miling, the Salmon Gums discovery was renamed C. voigtii.

Miling, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Miling is a small town in the Shire of Moora, 200 kilometres (124 mi) north of Perth, Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Miling had a population of 205.

Wongan Hills is a range of low flat-topped hills in the Avon Wheatbelt biogeographic region of Western Australia. It is located at 30°48′S116°37′E, in northern parts of the Avon Wheatbelt biogeographic region.

Conservation

Caladenia cristata is classified as "Priority One" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife, [7] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk. [9] Surveys carried out by volunteers in 2011 located 932 plants at three of the previously known populations, but 867 were at a single location and none was found at the other three. The main threats to the population are rising salinity, grazing by rabbits and goats, weeds and habitat degradation. [8]

The Declared Rare and Priority Flora List is the system by which Western Australia's conservation flora are given a priority. Developed by the Government of Western Australia's Department of Environment and Conservation, it is used extensively within the department, including the Western Australian Herbarium. The herbarium's journal, Nuytsia, which has published over a quarter of the state's conservation taxa, requires a conservation status to be included in all publications of new Western Australian taxa that appear to be rare or endangered.

Department of Parks and Wildlife (Western Australia) department of the Government of Western Australia

The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 and implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations. The minister responsible for the department was the Minister for the Environment.

Related Research Articles

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

Caladenia crebra, commonly known as the Arrowsmith spider orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has one or two relatively large, greenish-yellow flowers whose lateral sepals have thin brown "clubs" on their ends.

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

Caladenia attingens, commonly known as mantis orchids, are plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae and are endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. There are three subspecies, each of which has a single hairy leaf and one or two brightly coloured flowers with upswept sepals and a labellum with long, comb-like fringes. The subspecies differ in size, distribution and habitat.

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

Caladenia brevisura, commonly known as the short-sepalled spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a common, small-flowered orchid with an erect, hairy leaf and a single greenish flower with red markings, on a flowering stem up to 25 cm (10 in) high. It is found between Ravensthorpe and Israelite Bay.

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

Caladenia brownii, commonly known as the karri spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has an erect, hairy leaf and up to three flowers which are a combination of red, green, white and yellow. It is found in the high rainfall forests and coastal heath of the far south-west corner of Western Australia and is the only caladenia to grow in karri forest.

Caladenia citrina, commonly known as the Margaret River spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and up to three lemon-yellow flowers. It has a narrow distribution in the far south-west corner of Western Australia.

Caladenia corynephora, commonly known as the club-lipped spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two greenish-yellow and red flowers which have a labellum with a club-like tip. It is the only Western Australian caladenia with a clubbed labellum.

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

Caladenia cruscula, commonly known as the reclining spider orchid is a species of orchid endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and a single cream-coloured flower with a long red fringe on the sides of its labellum.

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

Caladenia doutchiae, commonly known as the purple-veined clown orchid or purple-veined spider orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and usually only one greenish-yellow and red flower with short, downswept petals, and lateral sepals that are broad at the base then narrow to a glandular tip.

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

Caladenia excelsa, commonly known as the giant spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rare species with a single, hairy leaf and up to three cream-coloured to greenish-cream flowers with long, drooping sepals and petals. It is one of the tallest spider orchids in Western Australia and, with Caladenia splendens, has the largest flowers of any Western Australian orchid.

Caladenia hoffmanii, commonly known as Hoffman's spider orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and one or two, greenish-yellow, red and white flowers which have a greenish-yellow labellum with a red tip. It is distinguished from the Pingaring spider orchid by small differences in the labellum and more northerly distribution.

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

Caladenia huegelii, commonly known as the grand spider orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and up to three relatively large red, green and cream-coloured flowers which have "split-hairs" on the sides of the labellum.

Caladenia incrassata, commonly known as the puppet clown orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and usually only one greenish-yellow and red flower which has a red-striped labellum.

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

Caladenia pachychila, commonly known as the dwarf zebra orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two greenish-yellow and red flowers with a red-striped labellum which has a dense cluster of deep purple calli in its centre. It is similar to the zabra orchid but has smaller flowers and the lateral sepals do not clasp the ovary.

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

Caladenia procera, commonly known as the Carbunup king spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and up to four greenish-yellow and red flowers. It is one of the tallest and has amongst the largest flowers of the spider orchids.

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

Caladenia swartsiorum, commonly known as the Island Point spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and up to three pale greenish-yellow and white flowers and is only known from a small area near the Harvey Estuary.

<i>Caladenia uliginosa</i> subsp. <i>uliginosa</i> subspecies of plant

Caladenia uliginosa subsp. uliginosa, commonly known as the dainty spider orchid, or darting spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and up to four greenish-cream flowers which have a forward-projecting labellum with a dark red tip.

<i>Caladenia uliginosa</i> subsp. <i>patulens</i> subspecies of plant

Caladenia uliginosa subsp. patulens, commonly known as the frail spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and up to three greenish-cream flowers which have a forward-projecting, white labellum.

Caladenia validinervia, commonly known as the Lake Muir spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and up to three greenish to creamy white flowers with red stripes on the sepals and petals. The flowers have relatively narrow sepals and petals and a relatively small labellum. It is a rare orchid only known from an area between Rocky Gully and Collie.

Caladenia viridescens, commonly known as the Dunsborough spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and up to three pale greenish-yellow flowers with faint red or pink markings.

References

  1. 1 2 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 114–115. ISBN   1877069124.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Andrew; Dixon, Kingsley; French, Christopher; Brockman, Garry (2013). Field guide to the orchids of Western Australia : the definitive guide to the native orchids of Western Australia. Simon Nevill Publications. p. 131. ISBN   9780980348149.
  3. 1 2 Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 162. ISBN   9780646562322.
  4. 1 2 Rogers, Richard Sanders (1923). "Contributions to the Orchidaceous flora of Australia". Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. 47: 337. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Caladenia cristata". APNI. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  6. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 238.
  7. 1 2 "Caladenia cristata". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  8. 1 2 Brown, Andrew. "Volunteer surveys for Caladenia cristata" (PDF). Government of Western Australia, Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
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