''Caleana terminalis'', commonly known as smooth-billed duck orchid is a species of orchid endemic to a small area near the Murchison River in the

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of Western Australia. It has a single smooth leaf and usually only a single greenish yellow and red flower. It is distinguished by its slightly humped labellum, with calli only on its outer one fifth.

Description

''Caleana terminalis'' has a single smooth, dull green or dull red leaf, long and wide. Unlike those of most other caleanas, the leaf is not withered at flowering time. Usually only one greenish yellow and red flower, long and wide is borne on a thin, wiry stalk high. The dorsal sepal, lateral sepals and

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are narrow and hang downwards with the dorsal sepal pressed against the column which has broad wings, forming a bucket-like shape. About one fifth of the outer part of the labellum is covered with glossy black glands or calli and the labellum has a slightly humped top. Flowering occurs in August and September.

Taxonomy and naming

The smooth-billed duck orchid was first formally described in 2006 by

Stephen Hopper Stephen Donald Hopper AC FLS FTSE (born 18 June 1951) is a Western Australian botanist. He graduated in Biology, specialising in conservation biology and vascular plants. Hopper has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his n ...

and Andrew Brown who gave it the name ''Paracaleana terminalis''. The description was published in '' Australian Systematic Botany'' from a specimen collected from the

Z Bend The Z Bend lookout is a popular tourist lookout on the Murchison River Gorge in Western Australia. It is located at ,Gazetteer of Australia (1996). Belconnen, ACT: Australian Surveying and Land Information Group. about east of Kalbarri, in th ...

in the

Murchison River Gorge Murchison River Gorge is a riverine gorge in Mid West Western Australia. Carved by the meandering lower reaches of the Murchison River, it is more than long, and up to deep. It begins about north-northwest of Ajana, and extends to the mouth ...

near Kalbarri. In 2014, based on molecular studies, Joseph Miller and Mark Clements transferred all the species previously in ''Paracaleana'' to ''Caleana'' so that the present species became ''Caleana terminalis''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''terminalis'') is a Latin word meaning "of ends or boundaries", referring to the callus being confined to the very tip of the labellum.

Distribution and habitat

''Caleana terminalis'' grows in sandy soil in shrubland between the Pinjarega Nature Reserve and Nerren Nerren station in the Geraldton Sandplains

biogeographic region An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

Conservation

''Caleana terminalis'' (as ''Paracaleana terminalis'') is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q42705434 terminalis Orchids of Western Australia Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 2006 Endemic flora of Western Australia