Caladenia iridescens

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Bronze caps
Caladenia iridescens.jpg
Caladenia iridescens near Woodend
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:C. iridescens
Binomial name
Caladenia iridescens
Synonyms [1]

Stegostyla iridescens(R.S.Rogers) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Contents

Caladenia iridescens, commonly known as bronze caps [2] or bronze caladenia [3] is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two dusky red, purplish to greenish-brown flowers, often with golden tints and greenish to brownish on the back.

Orchidaceae family of plants

The Orchidaceae are a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants, with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant, commonly known as the orchid family.

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.

Victoria (Australia) State in Australia

Victoria is a state in south-eastern Australia. Victoria is Australia's smallest mainland state and its second-most populous state overall, thus making it the most densely populated state overall. Most of its population lives concentrated in the area surrounding Port Phillip Bay, which includes the metropolitan area of its state capital and largest city, Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. Victoria is bordered by Bass Strait and Tasmania to the south, New South Wales to the north, the Tasman Sea to the east, and South Australia to the west.

Description

Caladenia iridescens is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with a spherical underground tuber. It has a single, sparsely hairy, linear leaf, 50–100 mm (2–4 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide. One or two flowers are borne on a spike 100–250 mm (4–10 in) tall. The flowers are dusky red, purplish to greenish-brown flowers, often with golden tints and greenish to brownish on the back. The dorsal sepal is 11–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long, about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide and curves forward, more or less forming a hood over the column. The lateral sepals are 13–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long, about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide and spread widely or curve downwards. The petals are 13–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and also spread widely. The labellum is 5–6 mm (0.2–0.2 in) long, about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide and whitish with red or purple lines. The sides of the labellum have blunt, dark red teeth, its tip is rolled under and there are four crowded rows of calli along its mid-line. Flowering occurs in October and November. [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 iridescens was first formally described in 1920 by Richard Rogers from a specimen collected at "Hall Gap" and the description was published in Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia . [1]

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."

Halls Gap Town in Victoria, Australia

Halls Gap is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on Grampians Road, adjacent to the Grampians National Park, in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. The town is set in the Fyans Valley at the foot of the Wonderland and Mount William ranges. At the 2016 census Halls Gap had a population of 430. The approximate driving time from Melbourne is 3 hours.

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.

Distribution and habitat

Bronze caps occurs mainly in the Grampians where it grows in woodland and shrubby forest. [2] [3] [4]

Grampians National Park Protected area in Victoria, Australia

The Grampians National Park, commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The 167,219-hectare (413,210-acre) national park is situated between Stawell and Horsham on the Western Highway and Dunkeld on the Glenelg Highway, 260 kilometres (160 mi) west of Melbourne and 460 kilometres (290 mi) east of Adelaide. Proclaimed as a national park on 1 July 1984, the park was listed on the Australian National Heritage List on 15 December 2006 for its outstanding natural beauty and being one of the richest indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern Australia. The Grampians feature a striking series of sandstone mountain ranges.

Related Research Articles

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

Caladenia angustata, commonly known as white caps is a species of orchid endemic to Tasmania. It has a single, hairy leaf and one or two white to pinkish flowers which are reddish or greenish on their backs. It has not been accepted as a separate species by some authorities who regard it as a synonym of Caladenia gracilis.

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

Caladenia gracilis, commonly known as musky caps or musky caladenia, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and up to six flowers which are dark-coloured on the back and white on the front, sometimes tinged with pink and with a strong musky or soapy odour. The species is also known as Caladenia moschata in Victoria.

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<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.

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

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.

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

Caladenia cucullata, commonly known as the hooded caladenia, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf, and up to seven white flowers with a purplish labellum.

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

Caladenia dimorpha, commonly known as spicy caps, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an uncommon ground orchid with a single sparsely hairy leaf, and up to three white flowers which often have pinkish markings.

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.

Caladenia helvina, commonly known as the summer spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and usually a single greenish-yellow to pale yellow flower with reddish teeth on the sides of the labellum and reddish calli along its mid-line.

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

Caladenia macrostylis, commonly known as the leaping 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 distinctive pale greenish-yellow and red flowers with a cluster of deep purplish calli in the centre of its labellum.

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

Caladenia montana, commonly known as the mountain spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and a single greenish-cream to cream flower, sometimes with reddish markings. It only grows in high montane forests.

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

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Caladenia osmera 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 one or two greenish-cream flowers with pink stripes and which has a sharp odour resembling burnt plastic.

<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 parva</i> species of plant

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<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 prolata</i> species of plant

Caladenia prolata, commonly known as long-leaf fingers or white fingers is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two dull white flowers which are greenish with red stripes on the back.

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

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Caladenia iridescens". APNI. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 47. ISBN   1877069124.
  3. 1 2 3 Jeanes, Jeffrey. "Caladenia iridescens". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: Vicflora. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Caladenia iridescens". Yarra Ranges Shire Council. Retrieved 12 February 2017.