Diamond spider orchid is a small, deciduous, tuberous terrestrial orchid native to south-west Western Australia, with one hairy leaf and one or two green, yellow and red flowers on a slender stalk. It is a wild orchid rarely grown in gardens, and it needs a cool, moist, seasonally dry rhythm that mimics its native jarrah forest habitat.
Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Part shade
Water
Water moderately while growing in winter and spring, then keep nearly dry while dormant in summer.
Soil
Free-draining, sandy, slightly acidic mix such as a terrestrial orchid or native bulb mix.
Temperature
10–24 °C; protect from prolonged heat above 30 °C.
How easy
Hard
Native range
SW. Australia
Climate
subtropical
About
Caladenia rhomboidiformis, commonly known as the diamond spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two green, yellow and red flowers. Until 1971 It was known as a variety of the green comb spider orchid Caladenia dilatata then, until 1989 as a variety of the clubbed spider orchid, Caladenia longiclavata.
Where it grows
The diamond spider orchid is found between Busselton and Augusta in the Jarrah Forest and Warren biogeographic regions where it grows in a variety of habitats but often in jarrah forest, or Banksia or sheoak woodland.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Caladenia rhomboidiformis 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.