Caladenia brachyscapa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caladenia brachyscapa |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Caladenia
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| Species: |
brachyscapa
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| Synonyms | |
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Arachnorchis brachyscapa (G.W.Carr) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
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Caladenia brachyscapa is a type of orchid plant. It belongs to the orchid family, called Orchidaceae. This special plant is native to Victoria in Australia. It might have also grown on Clarke Island in Bass Strait.
This ground orchid has a single, fuzzy leaf. Its flower is reddish-pink. The petals and sepals (parts of the flower) have thick, black, club-like bumps. Scientists officially described this orchid in 1988. However, no living plants have been seen since 1979. This means it is now thought to be extinct.
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What Does This Orchid Look Like?
Caladenia brachyscapa is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It's also a deciduous herb. It has an underground tuber, which is like a storage root.
Its Leaf
The orchid has one hairy leaf. This leaf is about 4 to 11 centimeters (1.5 to 4.3 inches) long. It is also about 3 to 6 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide. You might see some red spots near the bottom of the leaf.
Its Flower
Each plant grows a single flower. The flower is about 40 to 50 millimeters (1.6 to 2 inches) wide. It sits on a thin, hairy stem that is 3 to 15 centimeters (1.2 to 5.9 inches) tall.
The top sepal (a part of the flower) is 24 to 33 millimeters (0.9 to 1.3 inches) long. It stands up straight or curves forward. The side sepals are similar in length. The petals are 20 to 25 millimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) long. The sepals and petals are pinkish with red marks. They end in a dark, reddish-brown, club-like tip.
The labellum is a special lip-like part of the orchid flower. It is 10 to 12 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long. It is white to reddish with a dark red tip that bends downwards. The sides of the labellum curve upwards. They have 5 to 7 purplish teeth on each side. The middle part has blunt white teeth near its tip. There are also four to six rows of small bumps called calli along the center. This orchid usually flowers from October to November.
How It Was Discovered and Named
Geoffrey Carr first officially described this orchid in 1988. He wrote about it in a science journal called Muelleria. He used a plant sample collected near Warrnambool in 1959. At that time, this was the only known sample. Another partly opened flower, found in Port Campbell National Park in 1966, might have been the same species.
There was one sighting of this orchid on Clarke Island in 1979. However, that area has been heavily grazed by animals since then. It is likely no longer a good place for this orchid to grow. Because of this, the orchid is now believed to be extinct in both Victoria and Tasmania.
The name brachyscapa comes from Ancient Greek words. Brachys means "short," and skapos means "stem." So, its name means "short-stemmed."
Where This Orchid Lived
The only confirmed place this orchid grew was in a partly cleared forest. This was near Warrnambool, where the first sample was found.
Why It's Gone: Conservation Status
Caladenia brachyscapa is listed as "presumed extinct" by the Australian government. This is under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) Act. The Victorian government also lists it as "extinct" under their Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. This means scientists believe it no longer exists in the wild.
