Caladenia flindersica facts for kids

Caladenia flindersica is a special type of orchid that grows on the ground. It's only found in South Australia, specifically in a place called Alligator Gorge within the Mount Remarkable National Park. This orchid has just one leaf and usually grows one or two cream-colored flowers. The tips of its petals and sepals (which are like flower leaves) are thin and have a dark red to blackish color.

What Does Caladenia flindersica Look Like?

This orchid is a plant that grows from the ground and lives for many years. It has an underground part called a tuber, which helps it store food. Each plant has a single, dull green leaf that is shaped like a narrow spear. This leaf can be about 8 to 22 centimeters (3 to 9 inches) long and 6 to 14 millimeters (0.2 to 0.6 inches) wide. You might see red or purple spots near the bottom of the leaf.

Both the leaf and the stem that holds the flowers are covered in tiny, clear hairs, which can be up to 3 millimeters long. The plant usually produces one or two cream-colored flowers. These flowers are quite wide, about 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) across. They grow on a stem that stands about 15 to 35 centimeters (6 to 14 inches) tall.

As the flowers get older, their cream color fades to white. The petals and sepals (the parts that look like flower petals) have thin, dark red to blackish tips. The top sepal is about 4 to 8 centimeters (1.6 to 3.1 inches) long and tapers to a narrow tip. The two side sepals are also long, about 4 to 8 centimeters (1.6 to 3.1 inches), and have similar narrow tips. The petals are a bit shorter, about 3 to 5.5 centimeters (1.2 to 2.2 inches) long, and also have a special tip.

The labellum is a special lip-like petal in the center of the orchid flower. For Caladenia flindersica, it's shaped like a spear or an egg, about 13 to 18 millimeters (0.5 to 0.7 inches) long and 7 to 11 millimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) wide. The edges of the labellum have five to eight pairs of small, tooth-like parts. The very tip of the labellum curls downwards. There are also four to six rows of purplish, stalked bumps called calli along the middle of the labellum. This orchid blooms in late August and September.

How Caladenia flindersica Got Its Name

This orchid was first officially described in 2006 by a botanist named David Jones. He first gave it the name Arachnorchis flindersica. Later, in 2008, another botanist named Robert Bates changed its name to Caladenia flindersica. The second part of its name, flindersica, comes from the Flinders Ranges, which is the area in South Australia where this orchid grows.

Where Does Caladenia flindersica Live?

This unique spider orchid is only found in and around Alligator Gorge. It grows among shrubs in Eucalypt forests.