Caladenia whiteheadii

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Caladenia whiteheadii
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. whiteheadii
Binomial name
Caladenia whiteheadii
Synonyms [1]

Arachnorchis whiteheadii D.L.Jones

Caladenia whiteheadii is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single pale yellow flower with thick reddish tips on the sepals and petals. It is only known from a single hill near Eugowra.

Contents

Description

Caladenia whiteheadii is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single, dull green, lance-shaped leaf, 50–140 mm (2–6 in) long and 7–13 mm (0.3–0.5 in) wide with red to purple blotches near its base. The leaf and the flowering stem are very densely covered with erect transparent or whitish hairs up to 4 mm (0.2 in) long. A single pale yellow flower 40–60 mm (1.6–2.4 in) wide is borne on a wiry flowering stem 150–300 mm (6–10 in) tall. The dorsal sepal is 35–40 mm (1–2 in) long, 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide, oblong to elliptic near the base then tapers to a reddish glandular tip. The lateral sepals are lance-shaped to egg-shaped near their bases, 40–45 mm (1.6–1.8 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide and gradually taper to a reddish glandular tip. The petals are 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) long, 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.12 in) wide, narrow lance-shaped near the base then gradually taper to a thin glandular tip. The labellum is egg-shaped to lance-shaped, 11–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long, 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide and has up to eight pairs of red, linear teeth up to 1 mm (0.04 in) long on the edges. The tip of the labellum curls downward and there are four rows of red, mostly linear calli along the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs in September and October. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia whiteheadii was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones who gave it the name Arachnorchis whiteheadii. The specimen was collected near Eugowra and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research. [3] In 2010 Gary Backhouse changed the name to Caladenia whiteheadii and published the change in The Victorian Naturalist . [1] The specific epithet (whiteheadii) honours Brian Whitehead who collected the type specimen. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This spider orchid is only known from a single hill near Eugowra where it grows in shrubby forest. [2]

Related Research Articles

Caladenia amoena, commonly known as the charming spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae, and is endemic to Victoria. It is a ground orchid which grows singly or in small groups, has a single dark green, hairy leaf and a single yellowish-green flower with red stripes. It is only known from a few sites and has been classified as Endangered.

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

Caladenia ampla, commonly known as the dainty 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 a single flower which is sometimes yellowish-green flower with red stripes and sometimes entirely red.

Caladenia ancylosa, commonly known as the Genoa 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 a single cream-coloured flower with red markings.

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

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.

Caladenia cremna, commonly known as Don's spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to a small area in Victoria. It is a rare ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single yellow flower with red striations.

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.

Caladenia leptochila subsp. dentata, commonly known as the toothed spider orchid, narrow-lipped spider-orchid or narrow-lipped caladenia, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It has a single leaf and one or two mostly reddish-brown flowers. It differs from subspecies leptochila in the colour of its flowers, toothed edges to its labellum, and its distribution.

Caladenia oreophila 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 a single greenish-cream flower with pale red stripes a red labellum with a greenish-cream base.

Caladenia peisleyi 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 a single greenish-yellow flower with pale red stripes. It is difficult to distinguish from several other Caladenia species.

Caladenia armata is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the Australian Capital Territory. It has a single dull green leaf with purple blotches near the base, and a single cream-coloured to pink flower with red to maroon markings. It is only known from a single population containing fewer than ten plants.

Caladenia branwhitei, commonly known as the Bethungra spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to southern New South Wales. It has a single dull green leaf and one or two, usually dark red to maroon-coloured flowers. It is only known from three areas near Bethungra where it grows in ironbark forest.

Caladenia cadyi is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south coast of New South Wales. It has a single dull green leaf with purple blotches near the base, and a single greenish cream to cream flower with pink to reddish markings. It was only known from a single population which has been bulldozed and replaced with a pine plantation so that it is now probably extinct.

Caladenia ensigera is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two greenish cream to whitish green flowers and is only known from Alligator Gorge in the Mount Remarkable National Park.

Caladenia saxatilis 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 pale creamy-green flowers, sometimes with thin reddish lines. It occurs in the southern Flinders Ranges.

<i>Caladenia orestes</i> Species of plant

Caladenia orestes is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to an area in the south of New South Wales. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two cream-coloured to light reddish flowers. It grows in forest on hillsides around Burrinjuck.

Caladenia flindersica is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and one or two cream-coloured flowers with thin dark red to blackish tips on the petals and sepals. It is only known from Alligator Gorge in the Mount Remarkable National Park.

Caladenia strigosa is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and a single greenish-cream flower with fine reddish streaks. It grows in sandy soil in shrubland.

Caladenia zephyra is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single, densely hairy leaf and a single cream-coloured to very pale yellow flower with blackish glandular hairs on the sepals and petals. It occurs on the Eyre Peninsula but may have a wider distribution.

Caladenia fuliginosa is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and a single relatively large, creamy-yellow flower, sometimes with reddish lines. The flowers have a smell resembling hot metal.

Caladenia intuta is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to two small areas on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two white flowers which sometimes have faint reddish lines.

References

  1. 1 2 "Caladenia whiteheadii" . Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 5: 64–65.
  3. "Arachnorchis whiteheadii" . Retrieved 7 April 2017.