Coloured spider-orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coloured spider orchid |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Caladenia
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| Species: |
colorata
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| Synonyms | |
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The Caladenia colorata, often called the coloured spider-orchid, small western spider-orchid, or painted spider-orchid, is a special plant. It belongs to the orchid family and is found only in South Australia. It might also grow in Victoria. This orchid grows from the ground and has a single hairy leaf. Its flowers are usually creamy-green with cool blood-red or purple-brown patterns. The tips of its petals and sepals are dark.
What Does It Look Like?
The Coloured spider-orchid is a plant that grows from a hidden underground part called a tuber. It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so its leaves fall off at certain times.
It has one straight, dark green leaf that feels fuzzy. This leaf is about 4 to 10 centimetres (1.6 to 3.9 inches) long and 6 to 9 millimetres (0.24 to 0.35 inches) wide. The bottom of the leaf is red.
One or more flowers grow on a stem that can be 5 to 30 centimetres (2.0 to 11.8 inches) tall. The flowers are usually creamy-green with markings that can be maroon, pink, purple, blood-red, or purple-brown. Each flower is about 5 centimetres (2.0 inches) across. The colour of the flower can change a lot; sometimes it's even completely purplish-brown!
The tips of the petals and sepals (which look like petals) are blackish. This is because of tiny parts called glands. Sometimes, the flowers have a light smell, like petrol or musk.
The top sepal is about 33 to 40 millimetres (1.3 to 1.6 inches) long. It's thin at the bottom and becomes a thread-like tail with many dark glands. The side sepals are also 33 to 40 millimetres long. They are thin at the bottom and narrow into a thread-like tail with many glands. The petals are similar but a bit shorter and thinner at their base.
The labellum (which is a special lip-like petal on an orchid) is egg-shaped. It's about 10 to 14 millimetres (0.39 to 0.55 inches) long and 7 to 8 millimetres (0.28 to 0.31 inches) wide. The edges of the labellum have reddish teeth, up to 1.5 millimetres (0.059 inches) long. There are also four or six rows of dark reddish-purple, foot-shaped parts called calli along the middle of the labellum. These orchids usually bloom from August to September.
How It Got Its Name
The Caladenia colorata was first officially described by a botanist named David L. Jones in 1991. He wrote about it in a publication called Australian Orchid Research. The first plant used to describe the species was found near Hartley.
The second part of its scientific name, colorata, comes from a Latin word meaning "coloured." This name was chosen because of the beautiful, colourful flowers of this orchid.
Where It Lives
This type of caladenia orchid usually grows in woodland areas. In South Australia, you can find it in the Mount Lofty Ranges, in the Murray–Darling basin, and in the south-east part of the state.
In Victoria, it has been seen between the Glenelg River and the Little Desert National Park in the far west. However, scientists are still studying these plants to be sure they are exactly the same species.
Saving the Orchid
The Coloured spider-orchid is considered "Endangered" in Victoria. It's also protected under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This means it's at high risk of disappearing forever.
The biggest dangers to this orchid are animals like kangaroos or wild animals eating them. Weeds also compete with the orchids for space and nutrients. Sadly, some people also illegally collect these plants and flowers.
Good news! This orchid is one of four rare orchid species that have been grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. After being grown safely, they have been put back into the wild to help their numbers grow again.
