Bethungra spider orchid facts for kids

Caladenia branwhitei, commonly known as the Bethungra spider orchid, is a special plant in the orchid family. It grows only in southern New South Wales, Australia. This orchid has a single dull green leaf. It usually produces one or two flowers that are dark red or maroon. You can find it only in three areas near Bethungra where it grows in ironbark forests.

What Does It Look Like?

The Bethungra spider orchid is a plant that grows from an underground part called a tuber. It lives for many years (it's a perennial) and loses its leaves in some seasons (it's deciduous). These plants often grow in small groups.

Leaves

Each orchid has one dull green leaf. It often has reddish or purple spots near its base. The leaf is about 50 to 110 mm (2 to 4 inches) long. It is also about 4 to 10 mm (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide. Tiny hairs up to 4 mm (0.2 inches) long cover the leaf.

Flowers

The plant produces one or two flowers on a thin, hairy stem. This stem grows to be about 200 to 320 mm (8 to 13 inches) tall. Each flower is about 50 to 70 mm (2 to 3 inches) wide. They are usually dark red to maroon, but sometimes they can be greenish. These flowers have a unique "hot metal" scent.

The flower has several parts:

• The dorsal sepal is the top part of the flower. It is about 35 to 55 mm (1 to 2 inches) long. It tapers to a black, sticky tip.
• The lateral sepals are the two side parts. They are similar to the top sepal but are wider. They spread out from each other.
• The petals are about 30 to 45 mm (1 to 2 inches) long. They also have a sticky tip like the sepals.
• The labellum is a special lip-like part of the flower. It is broadly shaped like a spear or an egg. It measures about 13 to 20 mm (0.5 to 0.8 inches) long and 8 to 12 mm (0.3 to 0.5 inches) wide. The labellum is dark red and curves downwards. It has five to seven pairs of dark purplish "teeth" on its sides. These teeth are about 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 inches) long.
• In the middle of the labellum, there are four to six rows of reddish-black bumps called calli. The longest of these are about 2 mm (0.08 inches) long.

This orchid usually flowers in September and October.

How It Was Named

The Bethungra spider orchid was first officially described in 2006. A botanist named David Jones gave it the name Arachnorchis branwhitei. He wrote about it in a scientific paper called Australian Orchid Research. This description was based on a plant found near Bethungra.

Later, in 2010, another botanist named Gary Backhouse changed its name to Caladenia branwhitei. The second part of its name, branwhitei, honors Peter Gordon Branwhite. He was a conservationist and an expert on orchids.

Where It Lives

This spider orchid is very rare. It is only found in three small groups of plants. All of these groups are located in the Bethungra area of New South Wales. It grows specifically in forests where ironbark trees are common.

Protecting This Orchid

Before it was officially named, this orchid was known as Caladenia sp. 'Bethungra'. It was sometimes confused with another orchid called C. concolor.

C. concolor is considered "endangered" in New South Wales. This means it is at a high risk of disappearing forever. The Bethungra spider orchid is also very rare. Experts believe it might meet the requirements to be listed as "Critically Endangered." This is the highest level of risk for a species. Protecting these special orchids and their habitats is very important so they can continue to grow in the wild.