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Synonyms

• Caladenia sp. ‘Boddington’
• Caladenia sp. ‘Quindanning’

Notes

The Boddington Spider Orchid, also known as the Quindanning Spider Orchid, is a rare and threatened species known from only a handful of locations near the town of Boddington in Western Australia. Flowering in mid spring, it grows in woodland adjacent to winter-wet flats and seasonal creeks, often in the company of other species such as the White Spider Orchid (Caladenia longicauda) or the Brookton Highway Spider Orchid (Caladenia fluvialis). It was presumably much more widespread in the past, but much of its former habitat is believed to have been destroyed by mining activity and agriculture.

Thanks to its comparatively small size and unique appearance, in particular its often recurved and crossing sepals and petals and fairly broad, white labellum with short fringe segments and four to six rows of sparsely arranged calli, the Boddington Spider Orchid is easily distinguished from other species. Curiously, it looks rather similar to the equally rare Cossack Spider Orchid (Caladenia dorrienii) which occurs in similar habitats. However, it is readily distinguished from that species by its four to six rows of calli which identify it as a member of the subgenus Calonema, whereas the Cossack Spider Orchid is a Wispy Spider Orchid (subgenus Phlebochilus) and hence has only two rows of calli.

Photos

References

• Caladenia hopperiana in the Australian Plant Name Index
• Caladenia hopperiana in the Atlas of Living Australia
• Caladenia hopperiana in the Western Australian FloraBase