Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species: C. bicalliata
Subspecies: C. b. subsp. cleistogama
Trinomial name
Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama
Hopper & A.P.Br.

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama, commonly known as the shy limestone spider orchid or sandhill spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two cream-coloured flowers which are smaller than those in subspecies bacalliata .

Description

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama 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, 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide. The inflorescence is a raceme, 10–20 cm (4–8 in) high with one or two flowers, each flower about 25 mm (1 in) long and 10 mm (0.4 in) wide. The dorsal sepal abruptly narrows about one-third of its length from the base. The lateral sepals and petals are much shorter than those of subspecies bicalliata, lack reddish-brown tips and are a paler greenish-cream colour. The labellum is white with red spots and a serrated edge and has two rows of white-tipped calli along its centre. Flowering occurs from August to early September, however the flowers only rarely open fully.[1][2]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia bicalliata was first formally described by Richard Rogers in 1909.[3] In 2001 Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown described two subspecies, including subspecies cleistogama and the description of the two subspecies was published in Nuytsia.[4] The subspecies epithet ("cleistogamous") is derived from the Ancient Greek words kleistos meaning "shut" or "closed"[5]:211 and gamos meaning "gamete"[5]:514 referring to the fact that the flowers rarely open.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Shy limestone spider orchid occurs in a narrow coastal strip, growing on consolidated sand dunes between William Bay National Park and Cape Arid National Park in the Esperance Plains and Warren biogeographic regions.[6][7]

Conservation

Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 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. 53. ISBN 9780980348149.
  2. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia. (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 27. ISBN 9780646562322.
  3. "Caladenia bicalliata". APNI. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  4. "Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama". APNI. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. 1 2 "Caladenia bicalliata subsp. cleistogama". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  7. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 76. ISBN 0646402439.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.