Caladenia pygmaea

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Pygmy finger orchid
Caladenia pygmaea.jpg
In Scott Creek Conservation Park
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. pygmaea
Binomial name
Caladenia pygmaea
Synonyms [1]

Caladenia carnea var. pygmaea R.S.Rogers

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 .

Contents

Description

Caladenia pygmaea, is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, sparsely hairy leaf, 20–30 mm long and 2–3 mm wide. A single flower 5–6 mm wide is borne on a spike 50–100 mm high. The sepals and petals are pale pink on the front and pale green and slightly hairy on the back. The dorsal sepal is 2.5–3 mm long, about 2 mm wide and curves forward forming a hood over the column. The lateral sepals and petals are about the same size as the dorsal sepal, with the petals spreading and the lateral sepals parallel to and often touching each other along their length. The labellum is about 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, pink or white with red bars. The sides of the labellum turn upwards and almost surround the column and the tip is a small yellow triangle with a few blunt teeth on its sides. Flowering occurs in October. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

The pygmy finger orchid was first formally described in 1927 by Richard Sanders Rogers who gave it the name Caladenia carnea var. pygmaea. [3] [4] In 2014 Robert Bates changed the name to Caladenia pygmaea and published the change in Australian Orchid Review. [1] The specific epithet (pygmaea) is a Latin word meaning "dwarf" or "pygmy". [5]

Distribution and habitat

Caladenia pygmaea occurs in the south-east of South Australia where it grows in hard, but well-drained soil in woodland. [2]

Related Research Articles

Caladenia tonellii, commonly known as robust fingers, is a species of orchid endemic to Tasmania. It has a single, long, erect, hairy leaf and up to three bright pink flowers with brownish backs. It is a rare orchid which exists in low numbers.

<i>Caladenia carnea</i> Species of orchid

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.

<i>Caladenia picta</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia picta, commonly known as painted fingers, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single, sparsely hairy leaf and a single white or pink flower with a greenish-white back. Unlike many other caladenias, it flowers in autumn.

<i>Caladenia fuscata</i> Species of orchid

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.

<i>Caladenia aurantiaca</i> Species of orchid

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.

<i>Caladenia catenata</i> Species of orchid

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 orchid

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.

<i>Caladenia gardneri</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia gardneri, commonly known as the cherry 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 pale pink, sweetly scented flowers with a dark pinkish-red labellum.

Caladenia harringtoniae, commonly known as the pink 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 pale to deep pink flowers which have a cream-coloured labellum with a pink tip.

<i>Caladenia hillmanii</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia hillmanii, commonly known as purple-heart fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two bright pink flowers with a reddish-purple labellum with darker bars.

<i>Caladenia mentiens</i> Species of orchid

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.

<i>Caladenia ornata</i> Species of orchid

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 quadrifaria, commonly known as the large pink fingers orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf and up to three pale to bright pink flowers.

Caladenia pumila, commonly known as the dwarf spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single erect, hairy leaf and a single white flower with pale pink stripes. Its short flowering stem distinguishes it from other Victorian spider orchids. After 1933 it was presumed extinct until two plants were discovered in 2009.

<i>Caladenia pusilla</i> Species of orchid

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.

<i>Caladenia stricta</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia stricta, commonly known as the upright spider orchid or rigid-combed spider-orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to southern continental Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and usually only one pale green flower with red lines along the sepals and petals.

<i>Caladenia valida</i> Species of orchid

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.

<i>Caladenia villosissima</i> Species of orchid

Caladenia villosissima, commonly known as the hairy spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single densely hairy leaf and a single pale green flower with red stripes along the sepals and petals. It is a poorly known species and there is insufficient information about its distribution and abundance to determine whether or not it is endangered.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Caladenia pygmaea" . Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 Bates, Robert J. (2014). "Caladenia pygmaea, the pygmy finger orchid validated to species level) after more than a century of being misunderstood)". Australian Orchid Review. 79 (5): 55–57.
  3. "Caladenia carnea var. pygmaea" . Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  4. Rogers, Richard S. (1927). "Contributions to the Orchidaceous flora of Australia". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. 51: 13. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 489.