''Caleana hortiorum'', commonly known as Hort'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 long, narrow, slightly humped labellum, with calli on its outer half. It is found between Perth and Albany.

Description

''Caleana hortiorum'' has a single smooth, dull green or dull red leaf, long and wide. Unlike those of most other caleanas, the leaf is not withered at 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 half of the outer part of the labellum is covered with glossy black glands or calli and the labellum has a slightly humped top. Flowering occurs in September and October.

Taxonomy and naming

Hort'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 hortiorum''. The description was published in '' Australian Systematic Botany'' from a specimen collected near York. 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 hortiorum''. 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 ...

(''hortiorum'') honours Fred and Jean Hort who were early collectors of this species.

Distribution and habitat

''Caleana hortiorum'' grows in clearings in shrubland and woodland between Perth and Albany in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

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 hortiorum'' (as ''Paracaleana hortiorum'') 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, from=Q42705431 hortiorum Orchids of Western Australia Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 2006 Endemic flora of Western Australia