Caladenia rigida

Orchidaceae

Adelaide Hills White Spider-orchid,

Stiff White Spider-orchid

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plant: Caladenia rigida p Denzel Murfet Ironbank

plant: Caladenia rigida lf Denzel Murfet Ironbank

plant: Caladenia rigida lf under Denzel Murfet Ironbank

flower: Caladenia rigida f Denzel Murfet Mount Gawler SFR

flower: Caladenia rigida f Denzel Murfet Mount Gawler SF

flower: Caladenia rigida f Denzel Murfet Mount Gawler

flower: Caladenia rigida fl Denzel Murfet Ironbank

flower: Caladenia rigida fl Denzel Murfet Mount Gawler SFR

flower: Caladenia rigida f Denzel Murfet Ironbank

fruit: Caladenia rigida fr Denzel Murfet Ironbank

seed: Caladenia rigida K. Brewer seed Woodside

seed: Caladenia rigida K. Brewer seeds Woodside

seed: Caladenia rigida seeds sown on incoulated OA 3 April 2020 Bradleys property

seed: Caladenia rigida seeds sown on inocoulated OA 3 April 2020 Tim Hissey property

seed: Caladenia rigida early protocorm developing

Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.

Least concern

Near threatened

Rare

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct

Data deficient

Adelaide

Arkaroola

Ceduna

Coober Pedy

Hawker

Innamincka

Marla

Marree

Mount Gambier

Oodnadatta

Renmark

Wudinna

Keith

Yunta

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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1

Prior names

Calonemorchis rigida

Arachnorchis rigida

Calonema rigidum

Caladenia huegelii var. rigida

Common names

Adelaide Hills White Spider-orchid

Stiff White Spider-orchid

Etymology

Caladenia from the Greek 'kallos' meaning beauty and 'aden' meaning a gland, referring to the colourful labellum and the glistening glands at the base of the column that are present in many of the species. Rigida from Latin meaning stiff, rigid or inflexible, referring to the perianth segments which spread rigidly rather than drooping.

Distribution and status

Endemic to the southern Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia and found between Macclesfield in the south and Williamstown in the north, growing on ridge tops and hillslopes in grey-brown loam often associated with coarse quartzite gravel or sandstone pebbles in open woodland dominated by Eucalyptus obliqua, E. goniocalyx, E. leucoxylon, E. fasciculosa and E. microcarpa. Native. Endangered in South Australia. Endangered in Australia (EPBC Act).
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Slender terrestrial orchid with a hairy flowering stem to 30 cm in flower. Leaves narrow-lanceolate, to 20 cm long, single, hairy. Flowers 1-2, to 5 cm wide, white with red marks on the calli and labellum fringe, not fragrant. Dorsal sepal erect and incurved over the column and terminates in a dark red, glandular club. Lateral sepals are rigidly spreading, and have similar clubs to the dorsal sepal. Labellum ovate, to 1 cm long, white with red-brown subulate marginal teeth and four rows of calli that are mostly basally club-shaped and red with white tips. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are pale-brown hairy, papery ellipsoid capsule.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between late October and November. Collect fat capsules as they start to dry and turn brown. Pods will split and release the seeds quickly and will require monitoring. To increase the chances of collecting mature pods, it is recommended that a small breathable bag (ie. Organza bags) be used to enclose the developing capsules. Place the capsules in a container that will hold fine seeds and leave to dry for a few weeks or until the capsule split. Then carefully hold the capsule and tap it gently to release the seeds. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place, refrigerator or in liquid nitrogen.

Seeds stored:

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Location	No. of seeds (weight grams)	Number of plants	Date collected	Collection number Collection location	Date stored	% Viability	Storage temperature
			7-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			7-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			9-Nov-2005	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			7-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
		2 pods	5-Nov-2008	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			7-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			17-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			7-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			3-Nov-2009	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			27-Oct-2009	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			21-Nov-2005	R. Faast Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			9-Nov-2005	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			8-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			21-Nov-2005	R. Faast Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			17-Nov-2005	R. Faast Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			9-Nov-2005	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			9-Nov-2005	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
		8 pods	8-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			17-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	50%	-80°C
			7-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			2-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			2-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
		13 pods	4-Nov-2008	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			9-Nov-2005	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			8-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			8-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			2-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			2-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
		1 pod		J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
		3 pods	4-Nov-2008	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			7-Nov-2005	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			17-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
		2 pods	7-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			2-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			2-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
			9-Nov-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	1-Nov-2016	N/C	-80°C
BGA	190,000 (0.068 g)	12	23-Oct-2019	Woodcutter, Coromandel East Southern Lofty	24-Jun-2020	N/C	-18°C
BGA	200,000 (0.72 g)	9	23-Oct-2019	TST1426 Southern Lofty	24-Jun-2020	N/C	-18°C
BGA	61,600 (0.022 g)	4	23-Oct-2019	TST1427 Southern Lofty	24-Jun-2020	N/C	-18°C
BGA	54,900 (0.019 g)	3	7-Nov-2018	K.H.Brewer Southern Lofty	28-Jun-2021		-18°C
BGA	64,400 (0.023 g)	3	28-Sep-2017	K. Brewer Southern Lofty	28-Jun-2021	N/C	-18°C
BGA	77,300 (0.028 g)	7	15-Nov-2020	K.H.Brewer Southern Lofty	28-Jun-2021	N/C	-18°C
		6 pods	29-Jun-2005	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	10-Aug-2022	N/C	-80°C
			3-Nov-2009	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	10-Aug-2022	N/C	-80°C
BGA	77,000 (0.028 g)	3	4-Nov-2021	Woodcutters Southern Lofty	10-Aug-2022	N/C	-18°C
			1-Oct-2007	J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	10-Aug-2022	N/C	-80°C
		2 pods		J. Quarmby Southern Lofty	10-Aug-2022	N/C	-80°C
BGA	465,100 (0.166 g)	21	8-Nov-2022	TST1497 Southern Lofty	21-Jun-2023	N/C	-18°C, -80°C

Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.

Fleurieu (KAN02)	Kanmantoo	Critically Endangered (IUCN: CR B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)) (Probable Decline) [only found in Kuitpo Forest]
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01)	Flinders Lofty Block	Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii)) (Probable Decline) [endemic to MLR; frequent fire & poor timing of fires a threat; some pops declining]