Caladenia minor

White fingers
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Diurideae
Genus:	Caladenia
Species:	C. minor
Binomial name
	Caladenia minor; Hook.f. [1]
Synonyms [1]
	Caladenia carnea var. minor(Hook.f.) Hatch ; Caladenia catenata var. minor(Hook.f.) W.M.Curtis ; Petalochilus minor(Hook.f.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. ; Caladenia carnea var. pygmaea R.S.Rogers ;

Last updated November 23, 2019

Caladenia minor, commonly known as white fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to New Zealand. There is doubt about its taxonomy and in Australia the species is more usually known as Caladenia pusilla, Caladenia catenata var. minor, or Caladenia carnea var. minor. It has a single long, narrow leaf and one or two white or pale cream-coloured flowers.

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.

In biogeography, a species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. The term is equivalent to the concept of native or autochthonous species. Every wild organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as indigenous. Outside this native range, a species may be introduced by human activity, either intentionally or unintentionally; it is then referred to as an introduced species within the regions where it was anthropogenically introduced.

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country has two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. It has a total land area of 268,000 square kilometres (103,500 sq mi). New Zealand is about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.

Description

Caladenia minor is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single, long, narrow, hairy leaf. One or two flowers about 10 mm (0.4 in) across are borne on a thin, wiry stem about 200 mm (8 in) tall which is covered with prominent, reddish to blackish-purple glandular hairs. The sepals and petals are white to pale cream-coloured on the front and have dark glands on the back. The labellum is cream-coloured with red bars and has short blunt teeth on the sides near the tip. Flowering occurs from October to December or February.^[2]^[3]

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. Some sources cite perennial plants being plants that live more than three 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.

In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous 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 plants in botany, frequently shortened to herbs, are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. Herb has other meanings in cooking, medicine, and other fields. Herbaceous plants are those plants that do not have woody stems, they include many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials, they include both forbs and graminoids.

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia minor was first formally described in 1853 by Joseph Dalton Hooker and the description was published in The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror .^[4] The specific epithet (minor) is a Latin word meaning "less".^[5]

Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, succeeding his father, William Jackson Hooker, and was awarded the highest honours of British science.

The Flora Antarctica or formally and correctly The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror in the years 1839–1843, under the Command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, is a description of the many plants discovered on the Ross expedition, which visited islands off the coast of the Antarctic continent, with a summary of the expedition itself, written by Joseph Dalton Hooker and published in parts between 1844 and 1859 by Reeve Brothers in London. Hooker sailed on HMS Erebus as assistant surgeon.

Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process. The starting point for modern botanical nomenclature is Linnaeus' Species Plantarum of 1753. Botanical nomenclature is governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), which replaces the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN). Fossil plants are also covered by the code of nomenclature.

In Australia Caladenia minor is often regarded as a synonym of Caladenia pusilla, Caladenia catenata var. minor, or Caladenia carnea var. minor and its status in New Zealand is also uncertain.^[3]^[6] The species is reported to be self-pollinated in New Zealand but pollinated by bees in Australia.^[7]

Self-pollination is when pollen from the same plant arrives at the stigma of a flower or at the ovule. There are two types of self-pollination: in autogamy, pollen is transferred to the stigma of the same flower; in geitonogamy, pollen is transferred from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another flower on the same flowering plant, or from microsporangium to ovule within a single (monoecious) gymnosperm. Some plants have mechanisms that ensure autogamy, such as flowers that do not open (cleistogamy), or stamens that move to come into contact with the stigma. The term selfing that is often used as a synonym, is not limited to self-pollination, but also applies to other types of self-fertilization.

Distribution and habitat

White fingers occurs on both the North and South Island of New Zealand as well as Chatham Island, growing in beech forest and scrub.^[2]

The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island's area is 113,729 square kilometres (43,911 sq mi), making it the world's 14th-largest island. It has a population of 3,702,300.

The South Island, also officially named Te Waipounamu, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area; the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island. It has a temperate climate.

Chatham Island is by far the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is said to be "halfway between the equator and the pole, and right on the International Date Line", though the point in fact lies ca. 173 miles WSW of the island's westernmost point. The island is called Rekohu in Moriori, and Wharekauri in Māori.

Conservation

Caladenia minor is listed as "not threatened" in New Zealand.^[2]

Related Research Articles

Caladenia, commonly known as spider orchids, is a genus of 350 species of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Spider orchids are terrestrial herbs with a single hairy leaf and a hairy stem. The labellum is fringed or toothed in most species and there are small projections called calli on the labellum. The flowers have adaptations to attract particular species of insects for pollination. The genus is divided into three groups on the basis of flower shape, broadly, spider orchids, zebra orchids and cowslip orchids, although other common names are often used. Although they occur in other countries, most are Australian and 136 species occur in Western Australia, making it the most species-rich orchid genus in that state.

Caladenia carnea, commonly known as pink fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It has a single thin, green leaf and one to five white or pink flowers with red stripes and two rows of yellow-tipped "calli" on their labellum.

Caladenia fuscata, commonly known as dusky fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It is a small ground orchid found in eucalyptus woodland and which flowers in September and October.

Caladenia aurantiaca, commonly known as orangetip fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria, although it is also found on one Bass Strait island. It is a slender ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two short-lived, orange-tipped, white flowers on a thin, wiry spike.

Caladenia bartlettii is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It is a ground orchid with a single narrow, hairy leaf and a thin wiry stem usually bearing one short-lived mauve to pink flower.

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama, commonly known as the shy limestone spider orchid or sandhill spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two cream-coloured flowers which are smaller than those in subspecies bacalliata.

Caladenia campbellii, commonly known as thickstem fairy fingers or thick-stem caladenia, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf and one or two flowers that are pinkish on the outside and cream-coloured on the inside. The flowers are self-pollinating and short-lived.

Caladenia catenata, commonly known as white caladenia, white fingers and lady's fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two white, sometimes pink flowers on a thin, sparsely-hairy stem. It is similar to Caladenia carnea but lacks the red and white bars on the labellum of that species.

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

Caladenia curtisepala, commonly known as short-hooded fingers, 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 white to cream-coloured flower with a white labellum with red bands.

Caladenia flaccida, commonly known as the flaccid spider orchid, 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 three cream-coloured, pinkish or red flowers with long, thread-like, glandular tips on the sepals and petals.

Caladenia fragrantissima, commonly known as the scented 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 up to three creamy-white to yellowish-green flowers. It is possible that it is conspecific with Caladenia orientalis.

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 mentiens, commonly known as lesser fingers, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia which grows singly, or in small, loose groups. It has a single, sparsely hairy, erect, linear leaf and a single whitish or pinkish coloured flower with a darker back and a cream-coloured labellum.

Caladenia nothofageti, commonly known as beech caladenia or white fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It has a single, sparsely hairy, long, thin leaf and one or two white flowers with greenish-white backs, on a thin stalk.

Caladenia ornata, commonly known as ornate pink fingers is a species of orchid endemic to Victoria. It has a single leaf and one or two bright pink flowers with greenish-pink backs, and a dark pink labellum with dark red bars.

Caladenia pusilla, commonly known as tiny fingers, pygmy caladenia, tiny caladenia or pink fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to Australia and New Zealand. It is a ground orchid with a single erect, sparsely hairy leaf and a single pink flower with a brownish-pink back. The flowers are short-lived and self-pollinating.

Caladenia valida, commonly known as the robust spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single sparsely hairy leaf and up to three white to cream-coloured flowers which sometimes have red streaks. It is similar to Caladenia reticulata but is large and taller with more stiffly spreading lateral sepals and petals.

Caladenia gracillima, commonly known as pretty fingers, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single leaf and up to three bright pink flowers. The type specimen was collected at Yandina in southern Queensland but there are also records from southern New South Wales.

Caladenia pygmaea, commonly known as the pygmy finger orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single erect, sparsely hairy leaf and a single pink flower with red stripes on the labellum. It was formerly known as a variety of Caladenia carnea.

Thelymitra carnea, commonly called the tiny sun orchid or pinkish sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is native to Australia and New Zealand. It has narrow, almost cylindrical leaves and up to four relatively small pale to deep pink flowers on a wiry, zig-zag stem.

References

1 2 "Caladenia minor Hook.f." Flora of New Zealand. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
1 2 3 "Caladenia orchids". New Zealand Native orchids. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
1 2 "Caladenia minor". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
↑ "Caladenia minor". APNI. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 525.
↑ "Caladenia minor". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
↑ van der Cingel, Nelis A. (2000). An atlas of orchid pollination : America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Rotterdam: Balkema. p. 195. ISBN 9054104864.

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[nzflora-1] 1 2 "Caladenia minor Hook.f." Flora of New Zealand. Retrieved 22 February 2017.

[nzorchids-2] 1 2 3 "Caladenia orchids". New Zealand Native orchids. Retrieved 22 February 2017.

[nzpcn-3] 1 2 "Caladenia minor". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 22 February 2017.

[APNI-4] "Caladenia minor". APNI. Retrieved 22 February 2017.

[RWB-5] Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 525.

[vicflora-6] "Caladenia minor". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora. Retrieved 22 February 2017.

[Cingel-7] van der Cingel, Nelis A. (2000). An atlas of orchid pollination : America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Rotterdam: Balkema. p. 195. ISBN 9054104864.