Caladenia pulchra

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Slender spider orchid
Caladenia pulchra.jpg
Caladenia pulchra growing near Jerramungup
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. pulchra
Binomial name
Caladenia pulchra
Synonyms
  • Calonemorchis pulchra(Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
  • Calonema pulchrum(Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
  • Jonesiopsis pulchra(Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Caladenia pulchra, commonly known as the slender 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 red, yellow and white flowers, although the relative amount of each of these colours is variable.

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.

Western Australia state in Australia

Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, and the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a total land area of 2,529,875 square kilometres, and the second-largest country subdivision in the world, surpassed only by Russia's Sakha Republic. The state has about 2.6 million inhabitants – around 11 percent of the national total – of whom the vast majority live in the south-west corner, 79 per cent of the population living in the Perth area, leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated.

Contents

labellum detail Caladenia pulchra labellum.jpg
labellum detail

Description

Caladenia pulchra is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, hairy leaf, 60–150 mm (2–6 in) long and about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. Up to three flowers 80–150 mm (3–6 in) long, 40–100 mm (2–4 in) wide are borne on a stalk 200–400 mm (8–20 in) tall. The flowers have varying amounts of red, white and yellow and are sometimes all red. The sepals have long, brown, thread-like tips. The dorsal sepal is erect, 60–100 mm (2–4 in) long and 1–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) wide. The lateral sepals and petals have about the same dimensions as the dorsal sepal but they are held horizontally near their bases, then turn downwards and droop. The labellum is 8–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, 5–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide and cream-coloured with red lines and marks. The sides of the labellum have short, blunt teeth, the tip is curled under and there are two rows of anvil-shaped calli along the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs from August to early October but generally only occurs after good rainfall. [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 pulchra was first described in 2001 by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Phillip Brown from a specimen collected near Jerramungup and the description was published in Nuytsia . [1] The specific epithet (pulchra) is a Latin word meaning "beautiful" [5] referring to the delicate flowers of this orchid. [3]

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.

Jerramungup, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Jerramungup is a Western Australian town located in the Great Southern agricultural region, 454 kilometres (282 mi) southeast of Perth 6 kilometres (4 mi) west of the Gairdner River.

Distribution and habitat

The slender spider orchid is found between Jerramungup and Pithara in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and Mallee biogeographic regions where it grows under dense sheoak and similar trees near temporary streams. [2] [3] [4] [6]

Pithara, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Pithara is a small town in the wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is located about 240 km north of Perth, in the Shire of Dalwallinu. At the 2011 census, Pithara had a population of 257, a 25% fall from the previous 2006 census.

Avon Wheatbelt

The Avon Wheatbelt is an Australian bioregion in Western Australia and part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion.

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 pulchra is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [6]

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 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 erythrochila, commonly known as the Lake Muir spider orchid, Lake Muir blood spider orchid, Harry's little red spider orchid and Lake Muir blood orchid is a species of orchid endemic to a small area in the southern corner of the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and long, wispy, thread-like sepals and petals. Most of the flower parts are blood red, although there are often white marks on the labellum.

<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 exilis subsp. exilis, commonly known as the salt lake spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a relatively common spider orchid with a single erect, hairy leaf and up to three white to greenish-cream flowers with a small white, red-striped 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 granitora, commonly known as the granite 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 yellowish-cream, white and red flowers which have a white labellum with a red tip.

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.

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.

Caladenia incensum, commonly known as the glistening spider orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and three glistening white flowers which have a red-striped labellum.

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

Caladenia longicauda subsp. eminens, commonly known as the stark 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 large, bright white flowers with long, broad, spreading lateral sepals and petals, a relatively broad labellum with short, narrow teeth. It is a relatively common orchid found in a broad band, mainly between Tenterden and Jerramungup.

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

Caladenia attingens subsp. attingens, commonly known as the forest mantis orchid or sneezing spider 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 is similar to the fringed mantis orchid but has smaller flowers and has a more southerly distribution.

<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.

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 postea, commonly known as the dark-tipped 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 small, pale creamy-white flowers. It has a relatively late flowering period compared to similar spider orchids.

<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 rhomboidiformis</i> species of plant

Caladenia rhomboidiformis, commonly known as the diamond spider 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 green, yellow and red flowers. Until 1971 It was known as a variety of the green comb spider orchid Caladenia dilatata then, until 1989 as a variety of the clubbed spider orchid, Caladenia longiclavata.

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

Caladenia splendens, commonly known as the splendid spider orchid, or splendid white 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 mostly white flowers with a fringe of long teeth on the sides of the labellum. Along with the giant spider orchid, Caladenia excelsa it is the largest of the spider orchids.

Caladenia xantha, commonly known as the primrose 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 yellow flowers with a cream-coloured, brown-striped labellum.

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

Caladenia aperta, commonly known as the western tiny blue china orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has a relatively narrow leaf and a single bluish-mauve flower. It is distinguished from the other two similar blue orchids by the sides of the labellum which are erect but well-separated from the column. This species also has a more easterly distribution than C. amplexans and C. sericea.

References

  1. 1 2 "'Caladenia pulchra". APNI. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  2. 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. p. 108. ISBN   1877069124.
  3. 1 2 3 Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 70. ISBN   9780980296457.
  4. 1 2 Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 58. ISBN   9780646562322.
  5. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 28.
  6. 1 2 "Caladenia pulchra". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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