Caladenia williamsiae, commonly known as Judy's spider orchid,[2] or Williams' spider orchid[3] is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rare species with a single relatively large, erect, hairy leaf and one or two delicate, greenish-yellow and red flowers. It is only known from a single population near Brookton.

Judy's spider orchid
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. williamsiae
Binomial name
Caladenia williamsiae
Synonyms[1]

Description

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Caladenia williamsiae is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, hairy leaf, 70–90 mm long and 15–18 mm wide. One or two greenish-yellow flowers with red markings, and about 40 mm long and 30 mm wide are borne on a stalk 150–200 mm high. The sepals have reddish, club-like glandular tips 3–4 mm long. The dorsal sepal is erect near the base, then curves forward and is 15–20 mm long and about 1 mm wide. The lateral sepals and petals are 15–20 mm long, about 2 mm wide and horizontal near their bases, then curve downwards. The labellum is 6–8 mm long, 3–4 mm wide and yellowish green with a red tip. The sides of the labellum have narrow red or cream-coloured teeth up to 3 mm long, the tip of the labellum curls downward and there are four rows of dark red calli up to 1 mm long, along the mid-line. Flowering occurs from August to September.[2][3][4][5][6]

Taxonomy and naming

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Caladenia williamsiae was first formally described in 2001 by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Phillip Brown from a specimen collected near Brookton and the description was published in Nuytsia.[1] The specific epithet (williamsiae) honours Judy Williams who discovered this species in 2000.[3]

Distribution and habitat

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Judy's spider orchid is only known from near Brookton in the Avon Wheatbelt biogeographic region where it grows under wandoo and in dense shrubland.[2][3][4][5][7]

Conservation

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Caladenia williamsiae is classified as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[7] and as "Endangered" (EN) under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The main threat to the species is grazing by kangaroos.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Caladenia williamsiae". APNI. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 110. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. ^ a b c d Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 114. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. ^ a b Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 154. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. ^ a b Archer, William. "Caladenia vulgata". Esperance Wildflowers. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Approved Conservation Advice for Caladenia williamsiae (Williams Spider Orchid)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Caladenia williamsiae". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.