Caladenia barbarossa

Common dragon orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Genus: Caladenia
Species: C. barbarossa
Binomial name
Caladenia barbarossa
Rchb.f. (1871)

Caladenia barbarossa, commonly known as the common dragon orchid is a species of orchid endemic to the south–west of Western Australia.

Description

Caladenia barbarossa is a common species of orchid in its range. It has a single leaf, 40–60 mm long and 5–10 mm wide. The flower stem is 100–300 mm and bears 1 or 2 flowers, each 25–40 mm x 20–30 mm, coloured cream to greenish yellow with red markings appearing from September to November.[1]

Distribution and habitat

The common dragon orchid is widespread and common, growing in sandy or clayey loams in moist situations in a wide range of habitats but especially Casuarina thickets and woodland on slopes and flats or near granite outcrops, swamps or streams.[1] It occurs in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and Mallee biogeographical regions of Western Australia.[2]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia barbarossa was first described by Reichenbach in 1871 in Beitrage zur Systematischen Pflanzenkunde, from a specimen collected by James Drummond in 1843 near the Swan River.[3] In a review of the genus Caladenia in 2004, C.barbarossa was renamed Drakonorchis barbarossa (Rchb.f.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.[4][5] The specific epithet (barbarossa) is derived from the Italian words barba = beard and rossa = red.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 98–99. ISBN 1877069124.
  2. ↑ "Caladenia barbarossa Rchb.f.". FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
  3. ↑ "Jstor global plants". Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Hopper, Stephen D.; Brown, Andrew P. (29 April 2004). "Robert Brown's Caladenia revisited, including a revision of its sister genera Cyanicula, Ericksonella and Pheladenia (Caladeniinae: Orchidaceae)". Australian Systematic Botany 17 (2): 171–240. doi:10.1071/sb03002.
  5. ↑ "Drakonorchis barbarossa R. Br.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  6. ↑ "barbarossa". wiktionary.

External links