Kingdom Plantae Family Orchidaceae Genus Caladenia Rank Species | Order Asparagales Subfamily Orchidoideae Scientific name Caladenia robinsonii | |
People also search for Caladenia thysanochila | ||
Caladenia robinsonii, commonly known as the Frankston spider orchid is a rare species of orchid which is endemic to Victoria, Australia. A shoot arises from the tuber each year in the early autumn producing a solitary leaf in May. In September to October a single (or rarely two) red and creamy yellow flower is produced on a hairy stem up to 30 cm high The flower is up to 4cm in width and has narrow sepals, four of which spread out horizontally plus an erect dorsal sepal.
The flowers exude a scent that mimics pheromones of the female Thynnid wasp, which attracts male wasps that pollinate the flowers. The orchid has a symbiotic relationship with a mycorrhizal fungus that enables it to absorb nutrients.
It occurs in Coast Manna Gum woodland, on the Mornington Peninsula and was first formally described by G.W. Carr in 1991 from material collected in Frankston North. This population was lost when the locality was developed in the 1990s for housing. However a second population was discovered at Rosebud in 1990. Potential threats to the latter population, estimated to be around 40 plants, include weed invasion, tramping, fire and grazing by rabbits. In 2010, 150 of the orchids were planted in rehabilitated areas by volunteers, utilising seed that had been propagated by the Royal Botanic Gardens.