Caladenia orestes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caladenia orestes |
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| Caladenia orestes growing near Brindabella | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Caladenia
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| Species: |
orestes
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| Synonyms | |
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Arachnorchis orestes D.L.Jones |
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Caladenia orestes is a special type of plant that belongs to the orchid family. It's found only in a specific area in the south of New South Wales, Australia. This orchid grows on the ground and has just one leaf. It produces one or two beautiful flowers that can be cream-coloured or light reddish. You can find it growing in forests on hillsides near a place called Burrinjuck.
Contents
What Does Caladenia orestes Look Like?
Caladenia orestes is a plant that grows from the ground. It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so its leaves might fall off at certain times. This plant has a round, underground tuber, which is like a storage part for nutrients.
It grows a single leaf that is long and narrow. This leaf is about 60 to 110 millimeters (2.4 to 4.3 inches) long. It's also about 6 to 10 millimeters (0.24 to 0.39 inches) wide. The bottom part of the leaf often has a reddish or purplish colour.
The Flowers
One or two cream-coloured, pink, or reddish flowers grow on a stem. This stem can be quite tall, reaching 200 to 350 millimeters (7.9 to 14 inches) high.
The flower has different parts:
- The dorsal sepal is the top part, about 40 to 50 millimeters (1.6 to 2.0 inches) long. It's narrow and tapers to a dark, sticky tip.
- The lateral sepals are the two side parts, 40 to 60 millimeters (1.6 to 2.4 inches) long. They also taper to dark, sticky tips.
- The petals are similar to the sepals, about 35 to 45 millimeters (1.4 to 1.8 inches) long.
- The side sepals and petals spread out wide. They might turn down a little or droop.
The labellum is a special lip-like part of the orchid. It's about 14 to 17 millimeters (0.55 to 0.67 inches) long and 8 to 11 millimeters (0.31 to 0.43 inches) wide. It curves forward, and its tip strongly bends downwards.
Special Features of the Labellum
The sides of the labellum have 7 to 14 pairs of dark purplish, thin teeth. These teeth can be up to 1.2 millimeters (0.05 inches) long. There are also four or six rows of small bumps called calli along the middle of the labellum. The longest of these calli are about 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) long and look like tiny hockey sticks.
This orchid usually blooms during October and in early November.
How Caladenia orestes Got Its Name
The scientific name of a plant tells us a lot about it.
Taxonomy and Naming History
Caladenia orestes was first officially described in 2006. A botanist named David Jones gave it the name Arachnorchis orestes. He found a sample of this plant near Burrinjuck village. The description was then published in a scientific paper called Australian Orchid Research.
Later, in 2010, another botanist named Gary Backhouse changed its name to Caladenia orestes. This change was published in The Victorian Naturalist.
Meaning of the Name
The second part of the name, orestes, comes from an Ancient Greek word. It means "mountaineer." This name was chosen because this special orchid grows on steep mountain slopes.
Where Does Caladenia orestes Live?
This spider orchid grows in forests. It likes to be among grasses or shrubs on steep hillsides. You can find it around Burrinjuck, which is in the south-west slopes region of New South Wales.
