Caladenia cardiochila Tate 1887 SUBGENUS Arachnorchis Photo by Colin & Mischa Rowan and her Retired Aussies Website Photo by Malcolm Thomas of Australia

Another Flower Angle

Photo by Cathy Powers and Her AUSTRALIAN TERRESTRIAL ORCHIDS & OTHER FLORA & FAUNA - Banjorah Website

Lip Detail Photos by Colin & Mischa Rowan and her Retired Aussies Website

Cool LATEWinter

Common Name The Heart-Shaped Lip Caladenia - The Thick-Lipped Spider Orchid

Flower Size 1 1/5" [3 cm]

This miniature sized, cold growing terrestrial species is found in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia at elevations of 20 to 100 meters in heathy forest, woodland and mallee - usually in sandy soils with round tubers giving rise to an erect, pilose stem carrying a long, linear, pilose, obtuse, basally conduplicate into the clasping base leaf just above the ground and another much smaller one just above the middle and blooms on an erect, 2 1/2" [6.25 cm] long, 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence occuring in the late winter and spring in situ and is said to be pollinated by pseudocopulation by the male thynnid wasp.

Synonyms Arachnorchis cardiochila (Tate) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. 2001; Phlebochilus cardiochila (Tate) Szlach. 2001

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Australia Riley & Banks 2002; Australian Orchid Review Vol 70 No 5 2005; Australian Orchid Review Vol 71 No 6 2006/7 photo; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006 as Arachnorchis cardiochila photo good

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