Karri spider orchid is a deciduous, tuberous terrestrial orchid from the forests and coastal heath of south-west Western Australia, with up to three red, green, white and yellow flowers in spring. It is a wild native rather than a common garden plant, and it is the only Caladenia that grows in karri forest.
Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Part shade
Water
Water moderately while leaves are growing in winter and spring, then keep almost dry once the plant goes dormant in summer.
Soil
Free-draining, humus-rich, slightly acidic sandy or loamy soil, as in its native forest habitat.
Temperature
Cool to mild temperatures suited to its Mediterranean-type climate; protect from frost and heat above about 30 °C.
How easy
Hard
Native range
SW. Australia
Climate
subtropical
About
Caladenia brownii, commonly known as the karri spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has an erect, hairy leaf and up to three flowers which are a combination of red, green, white and yellow. It is found in the high rainfall forests and coastal heath of the far south-west corner of Western Australia and is the only caladenia to grow in karri forest.
Where it grows
Karri spider orchid grows in forest, woodland and coastal heath in the high rainfall areas between Dunsborough and Albany in the Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren biogeographic regions. It is the only Caladenia to grow in karri forest.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Caladenia brownii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.