''Caladenia valida'', commonly known as the robust spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental

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 three white to cream-coloured flowers which sometimes have red streaks. It is similar to '' Caladenia reticulata'' but is large and taller with more stiffly spreading 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 ...

Description

''Caladenia valida'' 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 leaf, 100–150 mm long and 10–25 mm wide with red blotches near its base. One, two or three flowers up to 70 mm wide are borne on a hairy spike 200–400 mm high. The sepals have dark red, club-like glandular tips 3–5 mm long. The dorsal sepal is erect or curved forward, 35–50 mm long and about 3 mm wide. The lateral sepals are 35–50 mm long and about 4 mm wide and curve stiffly downwards. The petals are 35–45 mm long, 2–3 mm wide and curve downwards. The labellum is cream-coloured to white, 12–15 mm long, 9–11 mm wide with red markings. The sides of the labellum have reddish teeth up to 2 mm long, the tip of the labellum is curved downwards and there are four or six rows of reddish calli up to about 1 mm long, along its mid-line. Flowering occurs in September and October. ''Caladenia reticulata'' is similar and ''C. valida'' was originally described as a variety of it but is a larger, taller orchid with more stiffly spreading sepals and petals and is pollinated by different species of thynnid wasp - ''C. reticulata'' is pollinated by '' Phymatothynnus victor'' and ''C. valida'' by '' Phymatothynnus pygidialis''.

Taxonomy and naming

This orchid was first formally described in 1942 by

William Henry Nicholls William Henry Nicholls (23 July 1885 – 10 March 1951) was an Australian amateur botanist, authority on, and collector of Australian orchids. An accomplished photographer and watercolourist, he contributed almost 100 articles on orchids to ''The ...

who gave it the name ''Caladenia reticulata'' var. ''valida''. The type specimen was collected near

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and the description was published in ''The Victorian Naturalist''. In 1989 Mark Clements and David Jones raised it to species status in ''Australian Orchid Research''. 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 ...

(''valida'') is a Latin word meaning "strong" or "powerful" although Nicholls did not give a reason for applying this name.

Distribution and habitat

The robust spider orchid occurs in Victoria and South Australia where it grows in coastal, or near-coastal heath. In Victoria it grows near Portland and Anglesea and in South Australia on Kangaroo Island and southern Fleurieu Peninsula.

Conservation

''Caladenia valida'' is listed as "endangered" under the Victorian Government ''

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

'' and under the Government of South Australia '' National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15287703 valida Plants described in 1942 Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of South Australia Orchids of Victoria (state)