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| In the
depths of the Northern winter, thoughts might turn to
the Southern hemisphere, where spring is moving into
summer - |
| Caladenia,
the Spider Orchids,
are almost entirely endemic to Australia - of the 180
species, four occur in New
Zealand, a one in
Indonesia, while Western Australia has over 140. This
probably reflects the geographic isolation of Western
Australia - geologically it is one of the oldest parts
of the Earth, its rocks dating back to the beginnings
of life . |
| Australian
orchids, when not described in Botanical Latin or
Greek, often
have homely names - as well as Spider, there are
Rabbit, Hare, Bunny, Donkey, Duck, Hammer, Helmet and
many more such, usually reflecting an aspect of the
appearance of the flower, which has evolved to attract
a particular pollinator.
The White Spider Orchid
on the right is a fairly typical member of the genus
Caladenia.
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| In closeup
(below right), can be seen the fringed or toothed
labellum with small projections known as calli on the
central section - again these are typical
features, and the genus
name comes from Greek Kalos (= beautiful)
and adenos (= gland or knob), while the long sepals and petals give
rise to the common name Spider Orchid. |
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| Caladenia longicauda microchila |
| White Spider Orchid |
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| Caladenia
latifolia |
| Pink
Fairy Orchid |
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| However a
subgroup including the Fairy Orchid (pictured left),
and the Cowslip orchid, have broad petals, while in a
third subgroup the Zebra orchid's petals clasp the
stem. |
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| Caladenia
cairnsiana |
| Zebra
Orchid |
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| We saw and
photographed the plants on this page while in Western
Australia with AGS Expeditions. These orchids
flower from spring into summer, that is from September
through to about December in most cases. |
| Unfortunately
these beautiful plants are very difficult in cultivation,
and although other Australian terrestial orchids such as the
Greenhoods (Pterostylis) are grown, the Spider Orchids have
to be enjoyed in the wild. |
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| C. nivea |
| Exotic Spider Orchid |
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| C. ferruginea |
| Rusty
Spider Orchid |
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| Caladenia
arrecta |
| Reaching
Spider Orchid |
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| Reference : Orchids of South-West Australia,
Hoffmann and Brown. Second edition 1998 ISBN 1 876268
18 2 |
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