Caladenia decora

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Esperance king spider orchid
Caladenia decora 01.jpg
Caladenia decora growing near Hopetoun
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. decora
Binomial name
Caladenia decora
Synonyms

Arachnorchis decora(Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Contents

Caladenia decora, commonly known as the Esperance king 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 red, yellow and green flowers. It is a variable species, similar to the king spider orchid ( C. pectinata ) and sometimes hybridises with other species so that it can be difficult to recognise, but is one of the largest spider orchids found in Western Australia.

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.

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

Caladenia pectinata, commonly known as the 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 three large red, yellow and pale green flowers. It is especially common between Bremer Bay and Rocky Gully.

Caladenia decora labellum detail Caladenia decora 02.jpg
Caladenia decora labellum detail

Description

Caladenia decora is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and which grows as a solitary plant or in small clumps. It has a single, erect, linear, hairy leaf, 9–22 cm (4–9 in) long and 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. The leaf is pale green and has purple-red blotches near its base. [2] [3] [4] [5]

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.

Up to three red, yellow and green flowers are borne on a stalk 25–50 cm (10–20 in) tall. The flowers are 6–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long and 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide, making them one of the largest among Western Australian spider orchids. The bases of the sepals and petals are linear to lance-shaped and held stiffly for about one-third, then suddenly narrow. The dorsal sepal is erect, linear to lance-shaped, 4.5–7 cm (2–3 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide at the base with a yellow-brown glandular tip up to 25 mm (1 in) long. The lateral sepals are spreading and downcurved, 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long and 3.5–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide at the base with a tip similar to the one on the dorsal sepal. The petals are 4–6 cm (2–2 in) long and 3.5–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide at the base, slightly ascending then slightly curved downwards and sometime lack glandular tips. The labellum is dark pink with red stripes and ends in a dark tip. It is linear to heart-shaped, 20–28 mm (0.8–1 in) long and 13–20 mm (0.5–0.8 in) wide and curves downward at the front. The sides curve upwards and have a fringe of narrow teeth up to 9 mm (0.4 in) long but suddenly decreasing in length about half-way towards the tip of the labellum. There are four rows of pale maroon, golf stick-shaped calli in the centre of the labellum for at least three-quarters of its length, but decreasing in size towards its tip. Flowering occurs from mid-August to October. [2] [3] [4]

Sepal part of a calyx

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms. Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. The term sepalum was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790, and derived from the Greek σκεπη (skepi), a covering.

Petal Part of most types of flower

Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals, that collectively form the calyx and lie just beneath the corolla. The calyx and the corolla together make up the perianth. When the petals and sepals of a flower are difficult to distinguish, they are collectively called tepals. Examples of plants in which the term tepal is appropriate include genera such as Aloe and Tulipa. Conversely, genera such as Rosa and Phaseolus have well-distinguished sepals and petals. When the undifferentiated tepals resemble petals, they are referred to as "petaloid", as in petaloid monocots, orders of monocots with brightly coloured tepals. Since they include Liliales, an alternative name is lilioid monocots.

Gland (botany) structure in plants

In plants, a gland is defined functionally as a plant structure which secretes one or more products. This may be located on or near the plant surface and secrete externally, or be internal to the plant and secrete into a canal or reservoir. Examples include glandular hairs, nectaries, hydathodes, and the resin canals in Pinus.

This species is similar to the similarly-sized Caladenia pectinata but is more brightly coloured, often has gland-tipped petals and has a more easterly distribution. Hybrids with Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa are common. [2] [3] [5]

<i>Caladenia longicauda</i> subsp. <i>crassa</i> subspecies of plant

Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa, commonly known as the Esperance white 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 mostly white flowers with long, broad, spreading lateral sepals and petals, a relatively broad labellum with short, narrow teeth. It grows on the south coast between Bremer Bay and the Cape Arid National Park.

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia decora was first formally described by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown in 2001 from a specimen collected by Hopper near the Jerdacuttup River north-east of Hopetoun. The description was published in Nuytsia. [1] The specific epithet (decora) is a Latin word meaning "fitting", "proper" or "beautiful". [6]

Stephen Donald Hopper AC FLS FTSE is a Western Australian botanist, graduated in Biology, specialising in conservation biology and vascular plants. He has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his name. He was Director of Kings Park in Perth for seven years, and CEO of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority for five. He is currently Foundation Professor of Plant Conservation Biology at The University of Western Australia. He was Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 2006 to 2012.

Andrew Phillip Brown is a conservation biologist and taxonomist at the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation. He is also curator of Orchidaceae and Myoporaceae at the Western Australian Herbarium and a foundation member of the Australian Orchid Foundation and the Western Australia Native Orchid Study and Conservation Group. He is the author of more than 100 journal articles and seven books on the flora of Western Australia including a field guide to the eremophilas of that state.

Jerdacuttup River is a river located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. The water in the river is naturally saline.

Distribution and habitat

The Esperance king spider orchid is found near the coast between Bremer Bay and Cape Arid in the Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions where it usually grows in shrubland and woodlands in winter-wet areas but sometimes also near granite outcrops. [2] [3] [7]

Bremer Bay, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Bremer Bay is a coastal town situated on the south coast of Western Australia in the Great Southern region between Albany and Esperance, at the mouth of the Bremer River. Bremer Bay is 515 kilometres (320 mi) southeast of the state capital, Perth, and 180 kilometres (112 mi) east of Albany. In 2016 the townsite had a population of 231. Over the 2018 Christmas and New Year holiday period the town's population reached almost 6,500.

Cape Arid National Park Protected area in Western Australia

Cape Arid National Park is an Australian national park located in Western Australia, 731 kilometres (454 mi) southeast of Perth. The park is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Esperance and lies on shore from the eastern end of the Recherche Archipelago. The bay at its eastern side is Israelite Bay, a locality often mentioned in Bureau of Meteorology weather reports as a geographical marker. The western end is known as Duke of Orleans Bay.

Esperance Plains biogeographic region of Australia

Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton regions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a plain punctuated by granite and quartz outcrops and ranges, with a semi-arid Mediterranean climate and vegetation consisting mostly of mallee-heath and proteaceous scrub. About half of the region has been cleared for intensive agriculture. Recognised as a bioregion under the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), it was first defined by John Stanley Beard in 1980.

Conservation

Caladenia decora is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [7]

Related Research Articles

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

Caladenia dimidia, commonly known as the chameleon orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and one or two yellow, cream-coloured or pinkish flowers. It is a variable species, similar to the Joseph's spider orchid but has a more northerly distribution and smaller flowers.

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

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata, commonly known as the limestone spider orchid or dwarf limestone spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia and coastal areas of South Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two cream-coloured flowers with reddish-brown tips.

<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 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.

Caladenia denticulata subsp. albicans, commonly known as the alabaster 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 pale creamy-white flowers which have a white labellum with red markings. The only known population occurs in a small area near Arrowsmith.

Caladenia erythronema, commonly known as the red thread spider orchid, and Nyabing 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 red, yellow or cream-coloured flowers with dangling, thread-like sepals and petals and a small labellum.

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

Caladenia exstans, commonly known as the pointing 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 one or two green, yellow and red flowers with a labellum which does not curl downwards but "points" forward.

Caladenia fuscolutescens, commonly known as the ochre 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 brownish-yellow flowers with a pale yellow, red-striped labellum. It is most common in spring after bushfires in the previous summer.

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

Caladenia heberleana, commonly known as Heberle's 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 red, white and pale yellow flowers which have a white, red-tipped labellum.

Caladenia hiemalis, commonly known as the dwarf common 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, cream-coloured flowers with a small, red-striped labellum. It has an early flowering period and its flowering is stimulated by summer fires.

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

Caladenia horistes, commonly known as the cream 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, creamy-yellow flowers which have a red-striped labellum and long, dark, thread-like tips on the sepals and petals.

<i>Caladenia attingens</i> subsp. <i>gracillima</i> subspecies of plant

Caladenia attingens subsp. gracillima, commonly known as the small mantis orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a relatively common orchid with a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two green, yellow and red flowers. It differs from subspecies attingens in having smaller flowers and a more easterly distribution.

Caladenia longifimbriata, commonly known as the fringed spider orchid or green-comb spider orchid, is a rare species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and one or two green, red and white flowers with a long labellum fringe and only occurs in a few scattered populations between Jerramungup and Esperance.

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

Caladenia microchila, commonly known as the western wispy spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is relatively common orchid with a single erect, hairy leaf and up to three wispy white flowers with narrow lateral sepals and petals and a white labellum with red markings.

Caladenia perangusta, commonly known as the Boyup Brook spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rare spider orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two cream-yellow or red flowers with narrow, drooping sepals and petals.

Caladenia pluvialis, commonly known as the Yuna spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a common spider orchid, especially after winter rains, occurring in a restricted area. It has a single hairy leaf and one or two creamy-coloured flowers. It was formerly included with Caladenia incensa.

Caladenia petrensis, commonly known as the rock 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 pale yellow flowers with drooping lateral sepals and petals.

Caladenia saxicola, commonly known as the banded ironstone 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 dull creamy-white to pale yellow flowers with spreading lateral sepals and petals.

References

  1. 1 2 "Caladenia decora". APNI. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  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. 100. ISBN   9780980348149.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 135. ISBN   9780646562322.
  4. 1 2 Hopper, Stephen; Brown, Andrew Philip (2001). "Contributions to Western Australian orchidology: 2. New taxa and circumscriptions in Caledenia". Nuytsia. 14: 65–67.
  5. 1 2 Archer, William. "Caladenia decora". Esperance Wildflowers. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  6. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 577.
  7. 1 2 "Caladenia decora". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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