|
Journal Number 108
May 2008
THE COLUMN
Caladenia - New Taxa
By Eric Scanlen
New Caladenia taxa keep arriving, courtesy of dedicated observers such as:
Tricia Aspin, with C. "kauri mauve" (Fig. 13, 14) from Awhitu [J103:13,15] and her perfumed,
late flowering, multi-flowering, C. chlorostyla from Matakawau [J99:22,23; 103:12];
Mike Lusk also with the very late, multi-flowering C. chlorostyla from the Kaweka's [J104:28,31]
and an unusual
C. aff. chlorostyla (C. minor?) from the Aorangi's;
Kevin Matthews, with perfumed Caladenia "2 leaf", Fig. 16, Kaitaia [J102:1; 103: 8, 35, 39];
Gary Little has C. "pink wonder" (Fig. 17 and J107 as C. "speckles") right by his back deck at Diggers Valley;
Mark Moorhouse had something similar to Gary's J107 taxon (Figs. 12, 18) from Arapawa Islands
in the Marlborough Sounds which the Column had likened to C. aff. variegata and
Gael Donaghy with C. "Pupu" [J75:36 Fig. 1] from Nelson.
Tricia Aspin's most interesting C. "kauri mauve" [J103:13,15] was in flower in a new site on 15 Nov 2007.
The Column, overawed at this new orchid, messed up all the photographs on his steam-age film camera.
Meanwhile, Tricia hunted around in Kevin Dodd's kauri rickers and found 40 specimens. Only four had
open flowers and a few had twin buds. Last years site, on a spur nearby, now showed only 3 or 4 specimens.
The large (for Caladenia), 13-19mm wide flowers in the new site, had bright green column backs and pale
pink tepals. They looked strangely familiar; but out of place in kauri. The variable bumpy margins to the
midlobe - under a X20 lens - made it look very much like C. aff. variegata; "aff." because there were none
of Colenso's stray calli outside the two rows on the disc. [See J96:23,24].
The Column had to return to
Kevin Dodd's on 17 Nov. 07 for sharper pix, this time with the lens stopped
down, for Figs. A & B. A close relationship becomes clear between it and southerly, non-kauri zone,
single flowered, C .aff. variegata with its disjunct distribution from Northwest Nelson to the Kaweka's.
Thank you Mike Lusk, J104:31, for the latter.
But at Dodd's, Awhitu, Tricia could find no plants further than 8m from kauri boles. Who ever heard of
C. aff. variegata dependant upon kauri? and so far north? This has to be a new taxon, C. "kauri mauve"
as Tricia tagged it. Incidentally, this same area of kauri, also had triple flowered C. chlorostyla and C
hiloglottis cornuta "khaki calli" with single leaved juveniles as at Diggers Valley and Kaitaia in Journal 107.
A true GLOS (great little orchid spot).
Tricia's late, scented, four flowered C. chlorostyla, had two flowers stemming from one floral bract
[J99:23 as C. minor] and could have been a doubling mutation. It showed for three years but 2007
was a poor season with the population at Kemp Rd. Reserve, Matakawau, down from 200+ on 29 Nov 05
to only eight plants above ground on 17 Nov 07. Amongst the eight were triplets, twins and singles
but no quads. The colony at Kevin Dodd's, 5.5kms distant, also had numbers of triplets, twins and
singles but no quads either, in 2007. The triplets, being so late and common on the Awhitu Peninsula
but rare elsewhere, makes this worth following up, Tricia? Why not compare notes with Mike Lusk and
his similar specimens from the Kaweka's. These could be the same scented, late flowering taxon.
Kevin Matthews' scented C. "2leaf" [cover J102], is a more colourful form of C. minor, alias C. aff.
chlorostyla, (more about that below) and it also flowers either in two pairs, each pair from a solitary
floral bract or with three pedicels, the top pair of flowers from one floral bract (Fig. 16). Look at the
colour here and in J103:39 Fig 30; green stem but red sepal ribs up the ovary, the red continuing up
the sepal midribs with a full width red blob at sepal base. C. minor on the other hand, has either; green
stems and ovaries; or red stems and ovaries with green between the sepal ridges. C. "2leaf" can have
both the leaves and bracts in opposed pairs which proclaim this form also as a viable, doubled mutation,
at least in part.
There was at least one quad plant in 2005 and two spaced well apart in 2006. Single leaved, three flowered
plants with similar flowers, occurred in the vicinity in 2006, along with C. minor itself. Could it be that the
three flowered, single leaved taxon is the new one? but with a number of hybrids including a doubling
mutation?
Kevin reported several single leaved triplets in a bad 2007 season with only two C. "2leaf", each with only
two flowers. Some further observations of these will be of value Kevin if you can tear yourself away from
the farm and clearing the dratted wiwi.
Gary Little's Caladenia" pink wonder", (Fig. 17) at arm's length from his back deck in Diggers Valley, had a
few more in this semi shaded, mossy colony like Fig. 17 and a greener form, showing up to three marginal
calli to the base of the midlobe. So the Column's J107 tentative tag of C. "speckles" (Allan Ducker's single
flowered taxon, J96:18) no longer fitted. In addition, its variable marginal calli to the midlobe and with the
J107 specimen being distinctly similar to Mark Moorhouse's Arapawa Island ones, (Figs. 12, 18) it seems
to align with C. aff. variegata - in the far north? would you believe? Fig.
D is actually closer to C. "nitida rosea" J100 back cover, with those three marginal calli (which are however
too short) and red parts on the green column back. Perhaps this colony is a transition between C. "nitida rosea"
and C. aff. variegata? These taxa were always difficult to separate in a species key. Mark's specimen, from
15 Feb 06 seemed a little isolated at the time, awaiting similar specimens elsewhere, before any unveiling
so now is the time. Mark's colony was in the known zone for C. aff. variegata on Arapawa Id, wedged between
North & South Islands.
However, the Arapawa specimen's prominent rostellum, visible behind the pink anther caps, is atypical as
are the curled in tepal tips rather than flat and minutely acuminate as are commonly seen around central
North Island. Others at Arapawa were more typical. Have we a new taxon here or just a variation within
C. aff. variegata?
Mike Lusk's C. aff. variegata from Haurangi SF [J104:31 Fig.17] also varied in detail from typical specimens
which of course is normally not a problem. In fact, the variation in this taxon tends to support the hypothesis
that C. aff. variegata, without the stray disc calli, is the original form so had ages of time to diverge a little in
character from north to south, whilst C. variegata which varies less (apart from its number of stray calli)
could be the more recent peloric mutation yet it is the accepted species of William Colenso's.
Gael Donaghy's specimen from the Pupu Springs, alone had Hooker's described C. minor characters of
pink colour, a fringed midlobe and obtuse sepals. Who, amongst the several Nelson orchidologists is
following up this tantaliser from June 2000?
Caladenia minor may well be the taxon that the Column first depicted as such (Fig. 15 herein) in the C. minor
Imbroglio of J72:22 Dec 99. He thought at the time it was C. chlorostyla. Doug McCrae identified the Fig. 15
specimen at Albany Scenic Reserve on 18 Nov 1993, as his "new one" Caladenia "green column". Jones et al
described the greenish form and Latinised Doug's tag as C. chlorostyla in 1997 [1]. In 2001/2 Bruce Irwin
perspicaciously portrayed the Fig. 15 taxon as C. aff. chlorostyla [J79:6; 83:17],different from
C. chlorostyla.
Debate has waxed unabated throughout the nine subsequent years as to the true identity of C. minor.
The lectotype annotation [J106:38, 42, Fig. 13] on Sir J.D. Hooker's depicted C. minor specimen sheet,
has never been published (pers comm.
Dr. Brian Molloy), so Dr. Mark Clements' 1989 designation [2] still stands.
Fig. 21 is likely to be the present lectotype, from Mark Clements' designation on another of Hooker's C. minor
specimen sheets.
At the Column's request, Ewen Cameron, Curator at AK Herbarium, borrowed the type sheet from Lindley's
Herbarium at Kew and the Column photographed it on 21 Jan. 05. Fig. H was the best specimen of all 19 on
sheet H2004/02298 but this flower had been carefully tucked into an envelope of broken parts, attached to
the sheet. Fig.22 is hopefully the lectotype and depicts a dark back to the dorsal sepal and the fringe of marginal
calli to the midlobe as drawn by WH Fitch and included with Hooker's 1853 description [3] where he lumped a
number of species into one. So the debate cannot have quite finished but the evidence is now pointing more at
C. aff. chlorostyla being the presently designated lectotype of Caladenia minor.
 |
|
 |
Fig. 18 Unusual form of Caladenia aff. variegata from Arapawa Id, Marlborough Sounds.
Note the atypical curled tepal tips and large rostellum behind the pink anthers.
|
|
Fig. 22 Probably Caladenia minor designate (C. aff. chlorostyla). Actually the best specimen matching WH Fitch's drawing taken from Sir J.D. Hooker's
C. minor type sheet of 19 specimens, originally published as lectotype in 1989 [2] by Dr Mark Clements. |
Acknowledgements.
The Column is indebted to; Brian Molloy for timely comment which seriously changed the course of this write-up;
Kevin Matthews for photos of his scented Caladenia "2leaf" and his patience in email debate on this taxon;
Tricia Aspin for bringing her unusual Awhitu Caladenia to the Column's attention and for her well founded
reserve in the tagging thereto; Ewen Cameron for somehow borrowing the C. minor type sheet despite the
Kew policy of never letting type material out of the Lindley-Kew Herbarium; Ian St George for his excellent
historic series which has been invaluable; Kevin Dodd's for permission to orchid hunt his kauri GLOS;
Mike Lusk, Mark Moorhouse and Gary Little for their valuable contributions and last but not least,
Bruce Irwin
for his unflagging and instructive debate on the C. minor issue for the last nine years.
References
1. Jones, D.L., Molloy, B.P.J. and Clements, M.A. Three New Species and a New Combination in Caladenia
R. Br. (Orchidacea) from New Zealand, The Orchadian Vol. 12, No. 5, 223-224 Sept. 1997
2. Clements, M.A. Australian Orchid Research, Vol. 1: 28 Australian Orchid Foundation, 1989
3. Hooker, J.D. Flora Novae Zelandiae Part 1: 247, London 1853
|
