Caladenia verrucosa

Caladenia verrucosa, commonly known as the mallee 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-yellow and red flower.

Mallee spider orchid
Caladenia verrucosa in the Murray-Sunset National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. verrucosa
Binomial name
Caladenia verrucosa
Synonyms[2]

Description

Caladenia verrucosa is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single hairy leaf, 60–150 mm (2–6 in) long and 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide with reddish-purple blotches near its base. A single yellowish-green flower about 40 mm (2 in) across and with central red stripes is borne on a spike 150–300 mm (6–10 in) tall. The sepals have bright yellow, club-like glandular tips 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. The dorsal sepal is erect, 35–45 mm (1–2 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The lateral sepals are 30–45 mm (1–2 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide and suddenly narrow at about half their length. The petals are 23–26 mm (0.9–1 in) long, about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide, linear to lance-shaped and turn obliquely downwards. The labellum is green with a dark red tip, and is 13–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and wide. The sides of the labellum turn upwards and have three to five green teeth up to 4 mm (0.2 in) long and short red teeth on each side. There are four crowded rows of dark red, stalked calli which are up to 4 mm (0.2 in) long near the base of the labellum but decreasing in size towards its tip. Flowering occurs from September to October.[3][4][2]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia verrucosa was first formally described in 1991 by Geoffrey Carr and the description was published in Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association Miscellaneous Paper 1.[1] The specific epithet (verrucosa) is a Latin word meaning "full of warts".[5]

Distribution and habitat

The mallee spider orchid is most common in north-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia where it grows in mallee woodland in sandy soil. In New South Wales it occurs in between Griffith and Rankins Springs.[3][4][2]

References
  1. "Caladenia verrucosa". Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  2. "Caladenia verrucosa". Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney; plantnet. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  3. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 94. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. Jeanes, Jeffrey. "Caladenia verrucosa". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: Vicflora. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 832.
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