Caladenia exilis
| Caladenia exilis | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Genus: | Caladenia |
| Species: | C. exilis
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| Binomial name | |
| Caladenia exilis | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Caladenia exilis is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single erect, linear leaf and up to three white to greenish-cream or dark pinkish-maroon flowers.
Description[edit]
Caladenia exilis is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herb with a single, erect, linear leaf 40–100 mm (1.6–3.9 in) long and 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) wide. The plant is 60–250 mm (2.4–9.8 in) high with up to three white to greenish-cream or dark pinkish maroon flowers, with two rows of red to cream-coloured calli along the mid-line of the labellum. The flowers are 60–150 mm (2.4–5.9 in) long and 40–60 mm (1.6–2.4 in) wide.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming[edit]
Caladenia exilis was first formally described in 2001 by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Phillip Brown in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected near Nyabing by Robert Bates in 1990.[5] The specific epithet (exilis) means "slender", "alluding to the slender labellum, petals and sepals".[4]
In the same journal Hopper and Andrew Brown described two subspecies of C. exilis, and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:
- Caladenia exilis Hopper & A.P.Br. subsp. exilis[6] - salt lake spider orchid, has white to greenish-cream flowers with pale maroon markings.[2][3][4]
- Caladenia exilis subsp. vanleeuwenii M.A.Clem. & Hopper[7] - Moora spider orchid, has dark pinkish-maroon to cream-coloured or variegated flowers with prominent maroon markings.[2][3][4]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Subspecies exilis grows near salt lakes between Mullewa and Woodanilling in the Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest and Mallee bioregions.[4][8] Subspecies vanleeuwenii grows in winter-wet depressions in salmon gum and york gum woodland, or on granite outcrops, north and south of Moora in the Avon Wheatbelt and Jarrah Forest bioregions of south-western Western Australia.[4][9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Caladenia exilis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Brown, Andrew P.; Dixon, Kingsley W.; French, Christopher; Brockman, Garry (2013). Field guide to the orchids of Western Australia : the definitive guide to the native orchids of Western Australia. Floreat, W.A.: Simon Neville Publications. p. 60. ISBN 9780980348149.
- ^ a b c Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. pp. 35–36. ISBN 9780646562322.
- ^ a b c d e f Brown, Andrew P.; Hopper, Stephen (2001). "Contributions to Western Australian orchidology: 2. New taxa and circumscriptions in Caladenia". Nuytsia. 14 (1/2): 227–231. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "Caladenia exilis". APNI. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Caladenia exilis subsp. exilis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "Caladenia exilis subsp. vanleeuwenii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "Caladenia exilis subsp. exilis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Caladenia exilis subsp. vanleeuwenii". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.