Caladenia audasii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caladenia audasii |
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Caladenia
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| Species: |
audasii
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The Caladenia audasii is a special kind of plant. It belongs to the orchid family and grows only in Victoria, Australia. This makes it an endemic species. It's a rare ground orchid. It has one fuzzy leaf and a single, beautiful yellow flower.
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About This Orchid
The Caladenia audasii is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It's also a deciduous herb, which means its leaves fall off at certain times. It has a special underground part called a tuber. From this tuber grows a single, hairy leaf. This leaf is usually about 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) long and 6 to 10 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in) wide.
What Its Flower Looks Like
Each plant grows one yellow flower. This flower can be up to 9 cm (3.5 in) across. It sits on a stem that is about 11 to 19 cm (4 to 7 in) tall. The flower has parts called petals and sepals. These are 3 to 6 cm (1 to 2 in) long and spread outwards. The petals are a bit shorter than the sepals.
The petals and side sepals are about 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) wide. They get thinner towards the end, like a thread. These thin ends are covered with tiny, sticky hairs called glandular hairs.
The labellum is a special lip-like part of the orchid flower. On this orchid, the labellum is curved. Its tip is rolled under. It also has side parts that stand up. When flattened, it's about 18 mm (0.7 in) long and 10 mm (0.4 in) wide. The edges of the labellum are scalloped, meaning they have wavy edges. The middle part has short, wide teeth. There are also six rows of small bumps, called calli, along the center. These flowers bloom from September to November.
How It Got Its Name
This orchid was first officially described in 1927. A scientist named Richard Rogers gave it its formal description. He published his findings in a scientific paper. The first plant used for this description was found near Bendigo, on Mount McIvor.
The second part of its name, audasii, honors a person named James Wales Clarendon Audas. He worked at the National Herbarium of Victoria, which is like a big plant library.
Where This Orchid Lives
In the year 2000, only five of these orchid plants were known to exist! They grew in grassy Box–ironbark forest areas. These areas were in three separate spots near Bendigo, Kingower, and Deep Lead. Deep Lead is north-west of Stawell. Sadly, this orchid is no longer found in South Australia.
Good news came in June 2015. Thirty new Caladenia audasii plants were carefully planted in the Greater Bendigo National Park. This was done to help the species survive.
Protecting This Rare Orchid
The Caladenia audasii is considered "Endangered." This means it is at a very high risk of disappearing forever. It is protected under an important Australian law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) Act. This law helps protect plants and animals that are in danger.
