Orangetip fingers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Orangetip fingers
Caladenia aurantiaca growing near Port Albert
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Diurideae
Genus:	Caladenia
Species:	C. aurantiaca
Binomial name
Caladenia aurantiaca (R.S.Rogers) Rupp
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Synonyms
Petalochilus aurantiacus (R.S.Rogers) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem

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Caladenia aurantiaca, also known as orangetip fingers, is a special type of orchid plant. It grows only in Victoria, Australia, and on one island in Bass Strait. This orchid is quite slender and has a single hairy leaf. Its flowers are white with orange tips and don't stay open for very long. They grow on a thin, wiry stem.

What Does the Orangetip Fingers Orchid Look Like?

The orangetip fingers orchid is a ground plant that grows from an underground tuber (like a small potato). It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so it loses its leaves at certain times of the year, and it's a herb, meaning it has soft stems, not woody ones.

Each plant has one hairy leaf, which is about 3 to 10 centimetres (1.2 to 3.9 inches) long and 1 to 2 millimetres (0.04 to 0.08 inches) wide.

The plant produces one or two white flowers with orange tips. These flowers grow on a thin, wiry stem that is about 5 to 22 centimetres (2 to 9 inches) tall. Each flower is about 15 to 20 millimetres (0.6 to 0.8 inches) wide.

Flower Parts

• The dorsal sepal (the top part of the flower) stands up straight at first, then bends forward. It partly covers the column, which is the central part of the orchid flower. This sepal is shaped like an oblong, about 7 to 10 millimetres (0.28 to 0.39 inches) long.
• The lateral sepals (the two side parts) are narrow and pointed. They are about 7 to 10 millimetres (0.28 to 0.39 inches) long. They usually point downwards and stay parallel to each other.
• The petals are similar in size to the sepals and either spread out wide or point downwards.
• The labellum (the orchid's special lip petal) is egg-shaped, about 5 millimetres (0.2 inches) long and 6 millimetres (0.24 inches) wide. It has three parts, called lobes.
  • The side lobes stand up and surround the column. Their edges are slightly wavy.
  • The middle lobe is shaped like a triangle and curves downwards. It has up to three pairs of short, orange bumps called calli along its edge. There are also two rows of calli down the center of the labellum.
• The column is the central part of the flower. It is pale green and has wide wings.

Life Cycle

Orangetip fingers orchids bloom from August to November. Their flowers are self-pollinating, meaning they can pollinate themselves. They only stay open for up to four days.

How Did the Orangetip Fingers Orchid Get Its Name?

This orchid was first officially described in 1922 by a scientist named Richard Rogers. He called it Caladenia carnea var. aurantica. This description was published in a scientific journal called Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. The first plant specimen used for this description was found near Alberton.

Later, in 1947, another scientist named Herman Rupp decided it was a unique enough plant to be its own species. He changed its name to Caladenia aurantiaca and published this change in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.

The name aurantiaca comes from a New Latin word. It means "orange," which refers to the orange tips on the flowers.

Where Does the Orangetip Fingers Orchid Live?

The orangetip fingers orchid grows in areas close to the coast, especially east of Melbourne. It prefers moist, open shrubland called heath, where the soil is sandy. It has also been found on Deal Island, which is located in Bass Strait.

Is the Orangetip Fingers Orchid in Danger?

This beautiful orchid is considered "rare" in Victoria, Australia. In Tasmania, it is listed as Endangered under the "Threatened Species Protection Act 1995". This means it is at a high risk of disappearing if we don't protect it.