Caladenia valida

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Robust spider orchid
Caladenia valida.jpg
Caladenia valida growing near Victor Harbour
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:C. valida
Binomial name
Caladenia valida
Synonyms [1]

Caladenia reticulata var. valida Nicholls

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.

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.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Contents

Description

Caladenia valida is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single sparsely hairy leaf, 100–150 mm long and 10–25 mm wide with red blotches near its base. One, two or three flowers up to 70 mm wide are borne on a hairy spike 200–400 mm high. The sepals have dark red, club-like glandular tips 3–5 mm long. The dorsal sepal is erect or curved forward, 35–50 mm long and about 3 mm wide. The lateral sepals are 35–50 mm long and about 4 mm wide and curve stiffly downwards. The petals are 35–45 mm long, 2–3 mm wide and curve downwards. The labellum is cream-coloured to white, 12–15 mm long, 9–11 mm wide with red markings. The sides of the labellum have reddish teeth up to 2 mm long, the tip of the labellum is curved downwards and there are four or six rows of reddish calli up to about 1 mm long, along its mid-line. Flowering occurs in September and October. [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.

Caladenia reticulata is similar and C. valida was originally described as a variety of it but is a larger, taller orchid with more stiffly spreading sepals and petals and is pollinated by different species of thynnid wasp - C. reticulata is pollinated by Phymatothynnus victor and C. valida by Phymatothynnus pygidialis . [3] [5] [6]

Taxonomy and naming

This orchid was first formally described in 1942 by William Henry Nicholls who gave it the name Caladenia reticulata var. valida. The type specimen was collected near Portland and the description was published in The Victorian Naturalist. [7] [8] In 1989 Mark Clements and David Jones raised it to species status in Australian Orchid Research. [1] The specific epithet (valida) is a Latin word meaning "strong" or "powerful" [9] although Nicholls did not give a reason for applying this name.

William Henry Nicholls was an Australian amateur botanist, authority on, and collector of Australian orchids. An accomplished photographer and watercolourist, he contributed almost 100 articles on orchids to The Victorian Naturalist, many of which described new species with line drawings. He was working on producing a 24-volume illustrated monograph of all the orchids of Australia when he died. Only four volumes were published shortly after his death but the entire work was published in a single book, Orchids of Australia in 1969. Some of the many orchids described and named by Nicholls and retaining the name he gave them include Caladenia caudata, Caladenia echidnachila, Caladenia ensata, Caladenia ferruginea, Caladenia magniclavata, Caladenia ornata, Caladenia praecox, Caladenia radiata, Pterostylis fischii, Pterostylis hamiltonii, Pterostylis hildae and Pterostylis tenuissima. The orchid Prasophyllum nichollsianum was named in his honour by Herman Rupp.

Portland, Victoria City in Victoria, Australia

Portland is a small city in Victoria, Australia, and is the oldest European settlement in the state. It is also the main urban centre in the Shire of Glenelg and is located on Portland Bay.

Mark Alwin Clements (b. 1949) is an Australian botanist and orchidologist. He obtained his doctorate at the Australian National University defending his thesis entitled Reproductive Biology in relation to phylogeny of the Orchidaceae, especially the tribe Diurideae.

Distribution and habitat

The robust spider orchid occurs in Victoria and South Australia where it grows in coastal, or near-coastal heath. In Victoria it grows near Portland and Anglesea and in South Australia on Kangaroo Island and southern Fleurieu Peninsula. [3] [6]

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.

South Australia State of Australia

South Australia is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, and fifth largest by population. It has a total of 1.7 million people, and its population is the second most highly centralised in Australia, after Western Australia, with more than 77 percent of South Australians living in the capital, Adelaide, or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second largest centre, has a population of 28,684.

Anglesea, Victoria Town in Victoria, Australia

Anglesea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Great Ocean Road in the Surf Coast Shire local government area. In the 2016 census, Anglesea had a population of 2,545 people.

Conservation

Caladenia valida is listed as "endangered" under the Victorian Government Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and under the Government of South Australia National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 . [3] [6]

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

The Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 is an act of the Victorian government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Australian state of Victoria for perpetuity. It was the first Australian legislation to deal with such issues.

Related Research Articles

Caladenia robinsonii, commonly known as the Frankston 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 one or two red and creamy-yellow flowers with dark red glandular tips on the sepals. In 2010 only about forty specimens of this plant, growing in a single population were known.

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

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 falcata</i> species of plant

Caladenia falcata, commonly known as the fringed mantis orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a relatively common orchid within its natural range and has a single, hairy leaf and one or two green, yellow and red flowers with spreading petals and upswept lateral sepals.

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

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.

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

Caladenia gladiolata, commonly known as small bayonet spider orchid, smelly socks or simply bayonet orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two yellowish or brownish flowers with red stripes and unusual tips on the sepals and petals.

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.

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

Caladenia longiclavata, commonly known as the clubbed spider orchid is a species of plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a widespread and common orchid with a single, hairy leaf and one or two greenish-yellow, white and red flowers and which grows in the area between Perth and Albany.

<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.

Caladenia radiata, commonly known as the ray 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. It flowers more profusely after fire and grows in swampy areas, sometimes flowering whilst in water.

<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.

Caladenia richardsiorum, commonly known as the little dip spider orchid, Richards' spider orchid or robe spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single erect, hairy leaf and usually only one yellowish-green flower. It is similar to the endangered Mellblom's spider orchid but has a much larger leaf and the petals lack glandular tips.

Caladenia rigida, commonly known as the stiff spider orchid, or white spider-orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two white flowers with dark glandular tips on the sepals and fine reddish-brown lines along the sepals and petals.

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

Caladenia septuosa, commonly known as the Koppio spider 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 usually only one greenish-cream flower with red stripes along the sepals and petals.

Caladenia sigmoidea, commonly known as the sigmoid spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and usually only one red and cream-coloured flowers with an unusual S-shaped labellum.

Caladenia stellata, commonly known as the starry spider orchid 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 usually only one greenish-cream flower with red markings.

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

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 toxochila</i> species of plant

Caladenia toxochila, commonly known as the bow-lip spider orchid 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 one or two yellowish-green flowers with red stripes. It occurs in Victoria and South Australia and resembles the related Caladenia concinna from New South Wales.

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

Caladenia uliginosa subsp. uliginosa, commonly known as the dainty spider orchid, or darting 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 four greenish-cream flowers which have a forward-projecting labellum with a dark red tip.

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

Caladenia vulgaris, commonly known as summer fingers, or slender pink-fingers is a species of orchid endemic to southern Australia. It has a single, long, erect, hairy leaf and one or two pink or whitish flowers.

Caladenia sanguinea, commonly known as red spider orchid or crimson daddy long-legs, is a species of orchid endemic to South Australia. It has a single sparsely hairy leaf and one or two dark red flowers with long, thin sepals and petals.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Caladenia valida". APNI. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  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. 77. ISBN   1877069124.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jeanes, Jeff. "Caladenia valida". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Mayfield, Enid (2010). Flora of the Otway plain & ranges (2nd ed.). Collingwood, VIC: CSIRO Publishing. p. 90. ISBN   9780643098046.
  5. 1 2 "August 2014 winning photograph". Native Orchid Society of South Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "Threatened species profile - Caladenia valida" (PDF). Government of South Australia Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "Caladenia reticulata var valida". APNI. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Nicholls, William Henry (1942). ""Orchid notes from Portland"". The Victorian Naturalist. 59: 189. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  9. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 766.
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