Caladenia discoidea

Dancing spider orchid
Caladenia discoidea growing near Bertram
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species: C. discoidea
Binomial name
Caladenia discoidea
Lindl. (1840)

Caladenia discoidea, commonly known as the dancing spider orchid, antelope orchid or bee orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is distinguished by its horizontally arranged flowers and unusually short sepals and petals. It was featured on an Australian postage stamp in 2014.[1]

Description

Caladenia discoidea has a single leaf, 8–18 mm (0.3–0.7 in) long, about 8 mm (0.3 in) wide and hairy on both surfaces. The flower stem is 90–450 mm (4–20 in) long and bears 1 to 4 flowers, each 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) long and wide. The flowers are oriented horizontally, are yellow and green with red stripes, have very short petals and sepals and a rounded, fringed labellum with dark calli. Flowers appear between August and early October.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia discoidea was first described by John Lindley in 1840 in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.[6][7] The specific epithet (discoidea) is an Ancient Greek word meaning "disc-shaped".[8]

Distribution and habitat

The dancing spider orchid is widespread in the drier areas of the south-west between Kalbarri and Israelite Bay, growing in woodland, sometimes on the edges of salt lakes.[2][3] It occurs in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions of Western Australia.[4][9]

Conservation

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

References

  1. ↑ "Caladenia discoidea". Australian National Botanic Garden. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia. (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 85. ISBN 9780646562322.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 100–101. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. 1 2 Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 77. ISBN 0646402439.
  5. ↑ Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2002). Wildflowers of Southern Western Australia (Updated ed.). Noble Park Victoria: Five Mile Press. p. 144. ISBN 1875971491.
  6. ↑ "Caladenia discoidea". APNI. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Lindley, John (1840). A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony. Piccadilly, London: James Ridgway. p. 52. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Moore (ed.), Bruce (2002). The Australian Oxford Dictionary (1999 ed.). South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press. p. 375. ISBN 0195507932.
  9. 1 2 "Caladenia discoidea Lindl.". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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