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Caladenia clavigera (Caladenia clavigera)

Description

Caladenia clavigera is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with a spherical underground tuber and which grows as scattered individuals or in small colonies. It has a single linear to lance-shaped leaf, 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 5–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) wide which is sparsely hairy on both surfaces. One, sometimes two flowers are borne on a green to brown, hairy spike 15–40 cm (6–20 in) high. The flowers are about 40 mm (2 in) in diameter with the lateral sepals and petals 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) long, yellowish-green with a central red stripe and tapering to a thread-like tip. The tips of the sepals usually have black, glandular, club-like tips but these are lacking on the petals. The sepals and petals spread widely or droop and the dorsal sepal is erect and curves forward, forming a hood over the labellum. The labellum is egg-shaped to heart-shaped, 10–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide, whitish to greenish with a dark red central portion, and curves forward. Teeth are mostly lacking on the sides of the labellum but there are four to six rows of golf club-shaped calli near its central part. Flowering occurs between August and January.

Taxonomic tree

  • Domain: Eukarya

    • Kingdom: Plantae

      • Phylum:

        • Class: Liliopsida

          • Order: Asparagales

            • Family: Orchidaceae

              • Genus: Caladenia