''Caleana disjuncta'', commonly known as the little duck orchid, is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

that is found in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

but with a few disjunct populations in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It has a single smooth leaf and a single greenish yellow and red flower with a flattened labellum, the calli only near its tip.

Description

''Caleana disjuncta'' has a single smooth, dull green or dull red leaf, long and wide. Usually only one greenish yellow and red flower, long and wide is borne on a thin, wiry stalk high. The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

sepal,

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may also refer to: Biology and healthcare * Lateral (anatomy), a term of location meaning "towards the side" * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle, an intrinsic muscle of the larynx * Lateral release ( ...

sepals and

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are long, wide and hang downwards. The dorsal sepal is pressed against the column which has broad wings, forming a bucket-like shape. The labellum is about long on the end of a strap-like stalk about long. The labellum is flattened and only about one-third of the outer part of the labellum is covered with glossy black

glands A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

or calli. Flowering occurs from October to December.

Taxonomy and naming

The little duck orchid was first formally described in 2003 by David Jones from a specimen collected in the Cox Scrub Conservation Park. Jones gave it the name ''Paracaleana disjuncta'' and published the description in '' The Orchadian''. A 2014 paper reported that molecular studies had suggested that ''Caleana'' and ''Paracaleana'' are congeneric, so the present species was renamed ''Caleana disjuncta''. The

Western Australian Herbarium The Western Australian Herbarium is the state Herbarium, situated in Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It houses a collection of more than 845,000 dried specimens of plants, algae, bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts), lichens, fu ...

and several recent field guides to the orchids of Western Australia retain the name ''Paracaleana disjuncta''. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''disjuncta'') is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word meaning "separate", "distinct", "different" or "remote", referring to the widely separated populations of this orchid.

Distribution and habitat

''Caleana disjuncta'' mainly grows in shrubland between

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Australia, southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River, Western Australia, Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment ...

and

Israelite Bay Israelite Bay is a bay and locality of the Shire of Esperance in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located along the Southern Ocean. Except for a small strip in the north-west of the locality, Israelite Bay is completely take ...

in Western Australia but there are small populations at three locations in the south-east of South Australia and two in Victoria in and near the

Grampians National Park The Grampians National Park, commonly known as the Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd. The national park is situated between ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q42705427 disjuncta Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of South Australia Orchids of Victoria (state) Orchids of Western Australia