Scientific Name: Caladenia australis

Common Name: southern spider-orchid

Family Classification (Clade): Monocots

Family: Orchidaceae

Threatened Species Status: Endangered

Permit: It is an offence to collect, disturb, damage or destroy this species unless under permit.

Form Description: Leaf lanceolate, sparsely hairy. Scape, hairy.

Height (m): 0.12 – 0.4

Flowers: Flower usually single, creamy with red streaks, sepals with dark red osmophores, labellum red with maroon margins, calli dark red, shiny, column green with red markings.

Fruit: Papery capsule

Municipality
Flinders
Plant Communities
Coastal VegetationHeath
Habitat Notes

Heathy coastal forest, grasslands and scrub.

Site Tolerance

Dry, Exposed, Moist, Windy

Soil Tolerance

Loam, Sandy

Frost Tolerance

Tender

General Notes

Fire prone habitat. Restricted to Furneaux Group.

Propagation Calendar

  • Flowering Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Seed Collecting Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Sowing Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Cutting Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Propagation Method
Specialist Method

Seed Information

Seed Treatment Notes

Orchid seeds are very minute yellow, brown or blackish dust-like particles. Orchid seeds are produced within a capsule that splits at maturity and releases thousands to millions of seeds. Dispersed by wind and water and only germinate following infection of the embryo by a suitable mycorrhizal fungus. Very few seeds become mature plants. For more information see Jones, Wapstra, Tonelli, Harris (1999): The Orchids of Tasmania.