Pingaring spider orchid
Photograph of the flower of Caladenia graniticola
Caladenia graniticola

Declared rare (DEC)
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. graniticola
Binomial name
Caladenia graniticola
(Hopper & A.P.Br.) Hopper & A.P.Br.[1]
Synonyms[1]

Caladenia graniticola, commonly known as the Pingaring spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and one or two yellowish-green, red and white flowers which have a greenish-yellow and white labellum with a red tip. It was originally described as Caladenia hoffmanii subsp. graniticola but has a slightly different labellum and column.

Description

Caladenia graniticola is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, hairy leaf, 80–150 mm (3–6 in) long and 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. One or two flowers 60–70 mm (2–3 in) long and 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) wide are borne on a stalk 120–300 mm (5–10 in) tall. The flowers are yellowish-green, red and white and the lateral sepals and petals have narrow, club-like, glandular tips. The lateral sepals and petals spread widely and curve downwards. The dorsal sepal is erect, 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. The lateral sepals are 22–32 mm (0.9–1 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide, curved so that they sometimes cross each other. The petals are 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) long and about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide and curve downwards. The labellum is 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long and 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide and greenish-yellow with a red tip. The tip of the labellum turns downward but is not rolled under as in some other caladenias. The sides of the labellum have narrow, erect teeth up to 5 mm (0.2 in) long and there are four rows of deep red calli up to 3 mm (0.1 in) long, along the centre of the labellum. Flowering from late September to October.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

The Pingaring spider orchid was first described in 2001 by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Phillip Brown from a specimen collected near Pingaring, after a specimen was first discovered by Kathleen White in 1984. It was given the name Caladenia hoffmanii subsp. graniticola and the description was published in Nuytsia.[5] In 2007, the same authors raised it to species status.[1] The specific epithet (graniticola) is derived from the Latin word graniticus meaning 'granite rocks' and -cola meaning 'dweller', referring to the habitat preference of this species.[3][6]

Distribution and habitat

Pingaring spider orchid occurs between Kalgarin and Newdegate in the Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions where it grows under tall shrubs on and around granite outcrops.[2][3][4][7]

Conservation

Caladenia graniticola is classified as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[7] The main threats to the species are its small population size, inappropriate fire regimes, grazing by rabbits and kangaroos and weed invasion.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Caladenia graniticola". APNI. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  2. 1 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. 81. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. 1 2 3 Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 127. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. 1 2 Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 153. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. ↑ "Caladenia hoffmanii subsp. graniticola". APNI. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 210. ISBN 9780958034180.
  7. 1 2 "Caladenia graniticola". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  8. ↑ Kershaw, Kim Greg Durell and Andrew Brown; Loudon, Bethea; Beecham, Brett; Durell, Greg; Brown, Andrew. "Interim Recovery Plan No.123, Pingaring Spider Orchid (Caladenia hoffmanii subsp. graniticola) Interim Recovery Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 9 February 2017.
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