Caladenia ensigera facts for kids

Caladenia ensigera is a special type of plant. It belongs to the orchid family, called Orchidaceae. This orchid is found only in South Australia. It grows on the ground and has a single leaf. Its flowers are greenish cream or whitish green. You can only find this unique orchid in Alligator Gorge, which is part of the Mount Remarkable National Park.

What it Looks Like

Caladenia ensigera is a ground-dwelling plant. This means it grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage part, similar to a potato. It's a perennial plant, so it comes back year after year. It's also deciduous, meaning it loses its leaves at certain times.

The plant has one dull green leaf. This leaf is narrow and shaped like a spear. It measures about 8 to 15 centimeters (3-6 inches) long. The leaf is also covered in tiny, clear hairs. You might see purple spots near the bottom of the leaf. The stem that holds the flowers is also very hairy.

This orchid usually has one or two flowers. They are greenish cream or whitish green. Each flower can be quite wide, about 7 to 9 centimeters (3-3.5 inches) across. The flowers grow on a stem that is about 14 to 35 centimeters (5.5-14 inches) tall.

The parts of the flower that look like petals are called sepals and petals. They spread out widely and are quite stiff. A cool thing about them is their tips! They have thick, flat, blackish tips that look like tiny swords.

The top sepal is about 4.5 to 5.6 centimeters (1.8-2.2 inches) long. It's wider at the bottom and then narrows down to a sword-like tip. The side sepals are similar in length and also have these narrow, sword-like tips. The petals are a bit shorter, about 3.2 to 4.5 centimeters (1.3-1.8 inches) long. Their sword-like tips are even more noticeable than those on the sepals.

The central part of the flower is called the labellum. It's shaped like a spear or an egg. It measures about 1.3 to 1.6 centimeters (0.5-0.6 inches) long. The edges of the labellum have seven to nine pairs of widely spaced, thin "teeth." The very tip of the labellum curls downwards. Along the middle of the labellum, there are four to six rows of purplish-red bumps called calli. These calli can be up to 3 millimeters (0.1 inches) long.

This orchid blooms, or flowers, during August and September.

How it Got its Name

The scientific name Caladenia ensigera was first given to this orchid in 2006. A botanist named David Jones described it. He first called it Arachnorchis ensigera. Later, in 2008, another botanist, Robert Bates, changed its name to Caladenia ensigera.

The second part of its name, ensigera, comes from a Latin word. "Ensiger" means "sword-bearing." This name was chosen because of the unique, sword-like tips on the sepals and petals of the flower. It's a perfect description of how they look!

Where it Lives

This special spider orchid is only found in one place: Alligator Gorge. This gorge is located within the Mount Remarkable National Park in South Australia. It grows in areas with woodlands, which are like forests with many trees. Underneath the trees, there are also many shrubs, making a bushy area where the orchid thrives.