''Caleana brockmanii'', commonly known as Brockman's duck orchid
is a species of
orchid endemic to the
south-west
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
of
Western Australia. It has a single smooth leaf, a single greenish yellow and red flower and is distinguished by its flat
labellum, relatively late flowering period and
calli only near the tip of the
labellum. It is found south from
Perth.
Description
''Caleana brockmanii'' has a single smooth, dull green or dull red leaf, long and wide. The leaf is usually withered by flowering time. Usually only one greenish-yellow and red flower, long and wide is borne on a thin, wiry stalk high. The
dorsal sepal,
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 narrow and hang downwards with the dorsal sepal pressed against the column which has broad wings, forming a bucket-like shape. About one-third of the outer part of the labellum is covered with glossy black
glands or
calli and the labellum has a flattened top. Flowering occurs from late October to January.
Taxonomy and naming
Brockman's duck orchid was first formally described in 2006 by
Stephen Hopper
Stephen Donald Hopper AC FLS FTSE (born 18 June 1951) is a Western Australian botanist. He graduated in Biology, specialising in conservation biology and vascular plants. Hopper has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his n ...
and
Andrew Brown who gave it the name ''Paracaleana brockmanii''. The description was published in ''
Australian Systematic Botany''.
In 2014, based on molecular studies,
Joseph Miller and
Mark Clements transferred all the species previously in ''Paracaleana'' to ''Caleana'' so that the present species became ''Caleana brockmanii''.
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 ...
(''brockmanii'') honours the amateur orchidologist, Garry Brockman who collected the
type specimen.
Distribution and habitat
''Caleana brockmanii'' grows in forest between Perth and
Albany in the
Jarrah Forest and
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
biogeographic regions
A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions.
De ...
.
Conservation
''Caleana brockmanii'' (as ''Paracaleana brockmanii'') is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government
Department of Parks and Wildlife
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q42705426
brockmanii
Orchids of Western Australia
Endemic orchids of Australia
Plants described in 2006
Endemic flora of Western Australia