Caladenia ultima

Species of orchid

Late spider orchid

Conservation status

Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Plantae
Clade:  | Tracheophytes
Clade:  | Angiosperms
Clade:  | Monocots
Order:  | Asparagales
Family:  | Orchidaceae
Subfamily:  | Orchidoideae
Tribe:  | Diurideae
Genus:  | Caladenia
Species:  |

C. ultima

Binomial name
Caladenia ultima

Hopper & A.P.Br.[1]

Synonyms

* Calonemorchis ultima (Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
* Calonema ultimum (Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
* Jonesiopsis ultima (Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Caladenia ultima, commonly known as the late spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and up to three creamy-yellow flowers with a red-striped labellum. It is one of the last spiders orchids to flower each year.

## Description[edit]

Caladenia ultima is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, hairy leaf, 60–150 mm long and 2–4 mm wide. Up to three creamy yellow or pale lemon-yellow flowers 80–110 mm long and 60–90 mm wide are borne on a stalk 150–250 mm tall. The sepals have long, brown, thread-like tips. The dorsal sepal is erect, 60–80 mm long and about 2 mm wide. The lateral sepals are 60–80 mm long, about 3 mm wide and turn stiffly downwards. The petals are 50–75 mm long, 2–3 mm wide and turn slightly upwards. The labellum is 12–15 mm long, 7–9 mm wide and creamy-white with red stripes and blotches with the tip curled downwards. The sides of the labellum are serrated and there are two rows of anvil-shaped, white or creamy-white calli along the mid-line. Flowering occurs from late October to early December, making it one of the last spider orchids to flower each year.[2][3][4]

## Taxonomy and naming[edit]

Caladenia ultima was first formally described in 2001 by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Phillip Brown from a specimen collected in the Stirling Range and the description was published in Nuytsia.[1] The specific epithet (ultima) is a Latin word meaning "farthest" or "last"[5] referring to the late flowering of this orchid.[3]

## Distribution and habitat[edit]

The late spider orchid is found in the Stirling Range National Park and Mount Barker area in the Esperance Plains and Jarrah Forest biogeographic regions where it grows in low-lying areas that are wet in winter.[2][3][4][6]

## Conservation[edit]

Caladenia ultima is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife,[6] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only one or a few locations.[7]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Caladenia ultima". APNI. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
2. ^ a b Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 110\. ISBN 1877069124.
3. ^ a b c Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 72\. ISBN 9780980296457.
4. ^ a b Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 68\. ISBN 9780646562322.
5. ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 825.
6. ^ a b "Caladenia ultima". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
7. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 25 March 2017.

Taxon identifiers|

* Wikidata: Q15287691
* Wikispecies: Caladenia ultima
* APNI: 156534
* CoL: PBYL
* EoL: 1125455
* FloraBase: 18400
* FoAO2: Caladenia ultima
* GBIF: 2841666
* iNaturalist: 1232744
* IPNI: 20002755-1
* Open Tree of Life: 3970408
* Plant List: kew-222886
* POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:20002755-1
* Species+: 69991
* Tropicos: 100156527
* WFO: wfo-0000342719

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