''Caladenia echidnachila'', commonly known as the fawn spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a ground orchid with a single, hairy leaf and one or two

fawn Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

-coloured flowers with thin red lines on the 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 ...

Description

''Caladenia echidnachila'' 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 which grows singly or in loose groups. It has a single, hairy, narrow lance-shaped leaf, long and wide. The leaf is dull green and has purple blotches near its base. One or two fawn to

tawny Tawny may refer to: * Tawny (given name), a feminine given name * Tawny (color) * Tawny port, a fortified wine * ''Tawny'', a 1954 record album by Jackie Gleason * Tawny, a townland in Kilcar, County Donegal, Ireland See also * Tenné, a "sta ...

yellow-coloured flowers, across, are borne on a thin, wiry, hairy spike high. The petals and sepals have pale reddish lines along their length. The dorsal sepal is linear to oblong, long, wide but tapers to a thin, blackish glandular tip about one-quarter of its length from the base. The lateral sepals are similar in size and shape to the dorsal sepal but slightly wider, spreading stiffly and widely. The petals are long, wide and otherwise similar to the lateral sepals. The labellum is long, wide, broad lance-shaped to egg-shaped when flattened, cream-coloured to yellowish with its tip strongly curved forwards. There are short, blunt teeth on the sides of the labellum, decreasing in size towards the front and four to six rows of dark red calli along its centre. Flowering occurs from September to November and is followed by fruit which is a papery, oval-shaped capsule, long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Caladenia echidnachila'' was first formally described by William Nicholls in 1933 and the description was published in ''

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania The Royal Society of Tasmania (RST) was formed in 1843. It was the first Royal Society outside the United Kingdom, and its mission is the advancement of knowledge. The work of the Royal Society of Tasmania includes: * Promoting Tasmanian historic ...

''. 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 ...

(''echidnachila'') is derived from the Ancient Greek words Ἕχιδνα ''echidna'' meaning "adder" or "viper", and χεῖλος ''cheilos'' meaning "lip" referring to the long tip of the labellum. There is disagreement as to whether this orchid is the same species as '' C. patersonii''.

Distribution and habitat

Fawn spider orchid usually grows in coastal scrub and heath in southern areas of Tasmania. Summer fires appear to encourage flowering.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9673547 echidnachila Plants described in 1933 Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of Tasmania