Peninsula spider orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peninsula spider orchid |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Caladenia
|
| Species: |
thysanochila
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Arachnorchis thysanochila (G.W.Carr) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
|
The Caladenia thysanochila, often called the peninsula spider orchid or fringed spider-orchid, is a very rare plant. It is part of the orchid family and grows only in Victoria, Australia. This special ground orchid has one hairy leaf and a single bright white to pale pink flower. Sadly, only two of these flowers have ever been seen. Because of this, many people believe the species is now extinct. This means it no longer exists in the wild.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Peninsula spider orchid is a herb that grows from an underground tuber. A tuber is like a swollen stem that stores food. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It is also deciduous, so it loses its leaves at certain times of the year.
Each plant has one hairy leaf. This leaf can be 10 to 20 centimeters long and 8 to 10 millimeters wide. It often has reddish spots. A single flower grows on a thin stem that is 15 to 30 centimeters tall. The flower itself is about 4 to 5 centimeters wide.
The flower's sepals and petals are bright white or pinkish. Sepals are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. Petals are the colorful parts of the flower. These parts have thick, purplish, club-like tips. The top sepal stands upright. It is about 2.5 to 3 centimeters long. The two side sepals spread out and curve downwards. They are also about 2.5 to 3 centimeters long. The petals are a bit shorter, about 2 to 2.5 centimeters long, and curve downwards too.
The labellum is the orchid's special lip. It is white or pinkish and measures about 9 to 13 millimeters long. The sides of the labellum have many small pinkish teeth, up to 1.5 millimeters long. The very tip of the labellum curls under. There are also four rows of pinkish bumps, called calli, along its middle. These are about 1 millimeter long. This orchid usually flowers in October.
How It Got Its Name
The Peninsula spider orchid was officially described in 1991 by a scientist named Geoffrey Carr. He wrote about it in a paper called Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association Miscellaneous Paper 1. The plant he studied was found near Mount Eliza.
The second part of its scientific name, thysanochila, comes from two Ancient Greek words. Thysanos means "tassel" or "fringe." Cheilos means "lip." So, the name describes the orchid's fringed or tasseled lip!
Where It Used to Grow
Only two of these rare orchids have ever been seen. They were both found in 1988. They were growing in a special area called a reserve on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. This area had a type of forest called heathy woodland.
Why It's Important to Protect It
The Peninsula spider orchid is listed as "endangered" by the Australian Government. This means it is at a very high risk of disappearing forever. This listing is under a law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
However, in Victoria, the state government lists it as "extinct" under their own law, the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. This shows how rare and sadly, how likely it is that this beautiful orchid is no longer with us. Protecting plants like this is very important to keep our planet's amazing variety of life safe.
