Caladenia corynephora, commonly known as the club-lipped spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two greenish-yellow and red flowers which have a labellum with a club-like tip. It is the only Western Australian caladenia with a clubbed labellum.
Caladenia corynephora is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, hairy leaf NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. One or two flowers NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide are borne on a spike NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high. The dorsal sepal is erect and the lateral sepals and petals are downswept, greenish-yellow with red stripes along their centres and their tips are covered with glandular hairs. The labellum is greenish-yellow with a club-shaped, red tip and a fringe of very long, narrow segments. The centre line of the labellum has four or more rows of red calli. Flowering occurs between late November and early February.[1] [2]
Caladenia corynephora was first formally described in 1971 by Alex George from a specimen collected on the banks of the Donnelly River near Pemberton. The description was published in Nuytsia.[3] The specific epithet (corynephora) is derived from the Ancient Greek words koryne meaning "club or "mace"[4] and phero meaning "to bear" or "to carry", referring to the clubbed labellum of this species.
The club-lipped spider orchid grows in habitats including winter-wet swamps, on granite outcrops and in karri forest between Albany and Margaret River in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions.[5]
Caladenia corynephora is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.