Limestone spider orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. bicalliata

Subspecies:
C. b. subsp. bicalliata
Trinomial name
Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata, commonly known as the limestone spider orchid or dwarf limestone spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia and coastal areas of South Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two cream-coloured flowers with reddish-brown tips.

Description

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and which occurs singly or in small clumps. It has a single erect, very hairy, linear to lance-shaped leaf, 6–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide. The inflorescence is a raceme, 10–35 cm (4–10 in) high with one or two flowers, each flower 5–7 cm (2–3 in) long and 4 cm (2 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is about 2 cm (0.8 in) long and abruptly narrows about one-third of its length from the base. The lateral sepals and petals are cream or greenish-cream, much shorter than those of the similar C. abbreviata and C. evanescens and have reddish-brown tips. The lateral sepals are less than 2 cm (0.8 in) long and thread-like for about half their length and the petals are about the same length and gradually taper to a thread-like tip. The labellum is egg-shaped, about 7 mm (0.3 in) long, 5 mm (0.2 in) wide and white with red stripes. The edge of the labellum is serrated and there are two rows of white-tipped calli along its centre. Flowering occurs from August to early October, however the flowers are often open for only one or two days and sometimes self-pollinate and do not open at all.[1][2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia bicalliata was first formally described by Richard Rogers in 1909[5] but in 2001 Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown described two subspecies, including subspecies bicalliata and the description of the two subspecies was published in Nuytsia[6] The specific epithet (bicalliata) is a derived from the Latin bi- meaning "two", callus meaning "a callus" and -atus indicating possession, referring to the two pairs of rows of calli on the labellum.[1][7]

Distribution and habitat

Limestone spider orchid occurs in a narrow coastal strip, growing in calcareous soil between Kalbarri and Esperance in Western Australia and along the south-east coast but sometimes up to 100 km (60 mi) inland in South Australia.[1][2][3][8]

Conservation

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brown, Andrew; Dixon, Kingsley; French, Christopher; Brockman, Garry (2013). Field guide to the orchids of Western Australia : the definitive guide to the native orchids of Western Australia. Simon Nevill Publications. p. 52. ISBN 9780980348149.
  2. 1 2 Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 26. ISBN 9780646562322.
  3. 1 2 "Caladenia bicalliata". State Herbarium of South Australia: efloraSA. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata" (PDF). Government of South Australia Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Caladenia bicalliata". APNI. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata". APNI. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 146. ISBN 9780958034180.
  8. ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 76. ISBN 0646402439.
  9. ↑ "Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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