''Caladenia cucullata'', commonly known as the hooded caladenia, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf, and up to seven white flowers with a purplish labellum.

Description

''Caladenia cucullata'' is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous,

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 and a single, sparsely hairy, linear leaf, long and wide. Up to seven white flowers in diameter are borne on a spike high. The lateral sepals 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 ...

s are long, wide, narrow elliptic to egg-shaped and spread horizontally. The outer surface is covered with greenish to brownish glands, the inside white and glabrous, with the petals shorter and narrower than the sepals. The dorsal sepal is broadly egg-shaped, erect near the base but bends at about 90° near the middle, 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. ...

. The labellum is more or less egg-shaped, long about wide when flattened and has three lobes. It is white with reddish-purple marks and a dark purple, pointed tip. The sides of the labellum are wavy, more or less erect and the tip is strongly curved downwards. There are four regular rows of thick, club-shaped calli which decrease in size towards the tip of the labellum. The

is bent forwards, has wavy wings and red spots. Flowering occurs from September to November.

Taxonomy and naming

''Caladenia cucullata'' was first formally described by

Robert D. FitzGerald Robert David FitzGerald (or possibly Robert Desmond FitzGerald) (30 November 1830 – 12 August 1892) was an Irish-Australian surveyor, ornithologist, botanist and poet. Whilst working as a public servant FitzGerald's private passion and ability ...

in 1876 and the description was published in '' Australian Orchids''. 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 ...

(''cucullata'') is derived from the Latin word ''cucullus'' meaning "cap", or "hood".

Distribution and habitat

Hooded caladenia grows in forests, usually in poor sandy or stony soil. In New South Wales it is found on the tablelands and western slopes south from

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

, in Victoria it is widespread, especially in the

goldfields Goldfield or Goldfields may refer to: Places * Goldfield, Arizona, the former name of Youngberg, Arizona, a populated place in the United States * Goldfield, Colorado, a community in the United States * Goldfield, Iowa, a city in the United Sta ...

and in South Australia it is uncommon, only ever found in the far south-east corner within a short distance from the Victorian border.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9673511 cucullata Plants described in 1876 Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Orchids of South Australia Orchids of Victoria (state)