Kingdom Plantae Family Orchidaceae Genus Caladenia Rank Species | Order Asparagales Subfamily Orchidoideae Scientific name Caladenia flava | |
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Similar Caladenia, Caladenia latifolia, Caladenia longicauda, Caladenia arenicola, Elythranthera | ||
Caladenia flava, commonly known as cowslip orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a relatively common orchid with a single, hairy leaf and up to three yellow flowers which often have red markings. In 2001 three subspecies were named and a fourth is recognised but not as yet formally described.
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Description
Caladenia flava is a perennial herb, which grows from underground stems. The leaf and flowerstalk appear from these to present several yellow flowers during July – December. The leaf is long for the species size, becoming narrower beyond the middle. Flowers are on a long stalk and are between two and five, usually yellow, occasionally pinkish or white, and speckled with magenta. Sepals and petals are broad though long, tapering to a point, and contracted at the base. Lateral sepals may be over 2–3 mm long, the upper sepal is smaller, with a reddish line of splotches along the centre. The flower has a lip over 5 mm with a small claw-shaped structure, three lobes are nearly separate, lateral lobes are ovate, the middle lobe longer and slightly broad, bordered on each side by several long structures (calli). These calli are in two rows, almost a semicircle. A column structure is present, and is winged from the base.
Taxonomy and naming
Caladenia flava was first formally in 1810 by Robert Brown. The description was published in Brown's book Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen from a specimen in Archibald Menzies' early collection.
In 2001, Stephen Hopper and Andrew Phillip Brown described three subspecies of Caladenia flava:
A fourth subspecies known as 'late red' is recognised but has yet to be formally described. It is a rare subspecies with an unusually large leaf and prominent red markings on the all the sepals and petals, occurring between Beverley and Williams and commonly known as the Brookton Highway cowslip orchid.
Distribution
Many soil types, laterite, and granite. Common. The species has been identified as occurring with burnt trees, namely marri gum. It often occurs in winter wet areas, in forest, the coastal woodlands, and on the granite outcrops throughout the Southwest Botanical Province. The occurrence is all the regions there, it has also been identified in sandplains, the arid areas, and extending its range to the Coolgardie region.