''Caladenia angustata'', commonly known as white caps, is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. It has a single, hairy leaf and one or two white to pinkish flowers which are reddish or greenish on their backs.

Description

''Caladenia angustata'' is a terrestrial,

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with an underground

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

and which usually grows in loose groups. It has a single narrow lance-shaped, hairy leaf, long, about wide and is reddish-purple near its base. One or two bright white or pinkish flowers long and wide are borne on a stalk tall. The back surface of the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

is a covered with reddish or greenish-brown

glands In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

. The dorsal sepal is curved forward forming a hood over the

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

and is narrow egg-shaped, long and wide. The lateral sepals are curved lance-shaped, long and wide. The petals are a similar shape to the lateral sepals, long and wide. The labellum is long, wide and white with the tip curled under. There are narrow teeth up to long with yellow tips on the sides of the labellum and four rows of white calli with yellow or purplish tips in the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs from October to November. This orchid is similar to '' C. gracilis'' but can be distinguished by its very narrow leaf, different flower colour, smaller, more widely spaced calli and narrower

Taxonomy and naming

''Caladenia angustata'' was first described in 1810 by

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

and the description was published in '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''angustata'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word meaning "narrowed".

Distribution and habitat

White caps occurs in northern parts of Tasmania where it grows in forest on low hills with a shrubby understorey.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q26238468 angustata Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of Tasmania Plants described in 1840 Taxa named by John Lindley