Caladenia erythrochila

Caladenia erythrochila, commonly known as the Lake Muir spider orchid,[2] Lake Muir blood spider orchid, Harry's little red spider orchid[3] and Lake Muir blood orchid[4] is a species of orchid endemic to a small area in the southern corner of the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and long, wispy, thread-like sepals and petals. Most of the flower parts are blood red, although there are often white marks on the labellum.

Lake Muir spider orchid

Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species:
C. erythrochila
Binomial name
Caladenia erythrochila
Synonyms
  • Calonema erythrochilum ( Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
  • Calonemorchis erythrochila (Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
  • Jonesiopsis erythrochila (Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Description

Caladenia erythrochila is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and which has a single erect, hairy leaf, 70–90 mm (3–4 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide. One or two blood red flowers 60–80 mm (2–3 in) long and 50–60 mm (2.0–2.4 in) wide are borne on a stalk 200–250 mm (8–10 in) high. The sepals and petals are blood red and nearly horizontal near their base but taper to thin, wispy, drooping tips. The dorsal sepal is erect, 35–40 mm (1–2 in) long and about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide at the base. The lateral sepals are 45–50 mm (1.8–2.0 in) long, about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide near their bases and the petals are 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) long, about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide at their bases. The labellum is 5.5–6 mm (0.22–0.24 in) long and 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.12 in) wide and blood red, often with white marks. The edges of the labellum have short, forward-pointing teeth and there are two rows of red to cream, anvil-shaped calli along its centre. Flowering occurs from September to early October.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia erythrochila was first described by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown in 2001 from a specimen collected east of Manjimup. The description was published in Nuytsia.[1] The specific epithet (erythrochila) is derived from the Ancient Greek words ἐρυϑρός erythros meaning "red"[5]:650 and χεῖλος cheilos meaning "lip"[5]:486 referring to the blood red labellum.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Lake Muir spider orchid is only known from two locations near Lake Muir and Lake Nunijup near Frankland in the Jarrah Forest biogeographic region where it grows in jarrah forest on laterite.[2][3][4][6]

Conservation

Caladenia erythrochila is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife,[6] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only one or a few locations.[7]

References
  1. "Caladenia erythrochila". APNI. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  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. 102. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 59. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 59. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. "Caladenia erythrochila". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
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