Caladenia strigosa facts for kids

The Caladenia strigosa, also known as the bristly spider orchid, is a special plant. It belongs to the amazing orchid family and grows only in South Australia. This means it is endemic to that area, found nowhere else in the world! It's a ground orchid, which means it grows in the soil. Each plant has one leaf and one beautiful greenish-cream flower with thin reddish lines. You can find it growing in sandy soil within areas of shrubland.

What Does the Bristly Spider Orchid Look Like?

The bristly spider orchid is a plant that lives for many years. It grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage organ. Each plant has a single leaf that is dull green and covered in tiny hairs. This leaf can be about 6 to 10 centimeters (2.4 to 3.9 inches) long and 0.8 to 1.2 centimeters (0.3 to 0.5 inches) wide. It often has purple spots near its base.

Both the leaf and the stem that holds the flower are covered in stiff, white hairs. This is why it's called the "bristly" spider orchid! A single flower grows on a stem that is about 12 to 20 centimeters (4.7 to 7.9 inches) tall. The flower itself is greenish-cream with fine reddish streaks and measures about 3 to 4 centimeters (1.2 to 1.6 inches) across.

Flower Parts: Sepals, Petals, and Labellum

Like all orchids, this one has unique flower parts:

• Sepals: The top sepal is about 2 to 3 centimeters (0.8 to 1.2 inches) long. It's narrow and ends in a thick, sticky tip. The two side sepals are also long, about 2.5 to 3 centimeters (1 to 1.2 inches), and taper to narrow, sticky tips.
• Petals: The petals are about 2 to 2.5 centimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) long and end in a thin, pointed tip.
• Labellum: This is the orchid's special lip-like petal. It's egg-shaped, about 1.1 to 1.3 centimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long and 0.7 to 0.8 centimeters (0.3 inches) wide. The edges of the labellum have four to eight pairs of small, dark purplish-red teeth. The very tip of the labellum curls downwards. There are also four rows of small bumps, called calli, along the middle of the labellum.

This beautiful orchid usually blooms in September and October.

How Was the Bristly Spider Orchid Named?

The bristly spider orchid got its scientific name, Caladenia strigosa, in a few steps.

First, in 2006, a botanist named David Jones officially described it. He found a specimen near a place called Raukkan and gave it the name Arachnorchis strigosa. This description was published in a scientific journal called Australian Orchid Research.

Then, in 2008, another botanist, Robert Bates, decided to change its name to Caladenia strigosa. He published this change in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

The second part of its scientific name, strigosa, comes from a Latin word that means "full of bristles." This name perfectly describes the bristly hairs found on the plant's leaf and flowering stem!

Where Does the Bristly Spider Orchid Live?

This unique spider orchid grows in the sandy soil of shrubland areas. You can find it specifically within the Coorong National Park in South Australia. It's a special part of the plant life in that beautiful park!