Blue caladenia (Caladenia caerulea)
Description
Caladenia caerulea, commonly known as the eastern tiny blue china orchid, blue caladenia or blue fairy is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single narrow leaf and a single blue flower. Caladenia caerulea is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single, sparsely hairy leaf, 20–70 mm (0.8–3 in) long, 2–5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide and which usually lies flat on the ground. A single pale to dark blue, rarely white flower 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) long and wide is borne on a stalk 50–150 mm (2–6 in) tall. The dorsal sepal is erect, 12–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The lateral sepals and petals are 12–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide and spread like the fingers of a hand. The labellum is 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide and blue with dark blue bars. The sides of the labellum curve upwards and the small tip turns downwards. There are two rows of yellow-tipped calli along the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs from July to September.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Asparagales
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Family: Orchidaceae
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Genus: Caladenia
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