Common name: Thick Lip Spider Orchid
Caladenia tessellata Fitzg. APNI* Synonyms: Arachnorchis tessellata (Fitzg.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. APNI* Phlebochilus tessellatus (Fitzg.) Szlach. APNI*
Description: Terrestrial herb.
Leaf linear to lanceolate, to 6 cm long and 5 mm wide, sparsely hairy on both surfaces.
Inflorescence to 25 cm high, rarely > 2-flowered, hairy. Sepals and lateral petals c. 2 cm long, cream-coloured with reddish stripes (lateral sepals often crossing); tails short, filiform or merely acuminate, with dark glandular hairs, less than a third of the length of the segments; tails of the lateral petals and lateral sepals often held stiffly and horizontally or petals deflexed. Labellum broad-cordate, 10–15 mm long, 10–20 mm wide, ± unlobed, yellowish with a few darker striations; margins with thick, short, dark, teeth. Central calli thick and dark in 4 rows becoming crowded and overlapping towards the base and grading into short rows towards the apex. Column base with 2, prominent yellow glands.
Flowering: September–November
Distribution and occurrence: Grows on clay loam or sandy soils; south from Swansea.
NSW subdivisions: CC, SC, ST
Other Australian states: Vic.
Threatened species: NSW BCA: Endangered; Commonwealth EPBC: Vulnerable
Text by P. Bernhardt Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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