Caladenia lodgeana, commonly known as Lodge's spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a restricted area of the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single, hairy leaf and up to three cream, red and pink flowers and a labellum which lacks the red tip common to many other similar caladenias.
Caladenia lodgeana 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. Up to three cream-coloured, red and pink flowers NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide are borne on a stalk NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The sepals and petals have thin brown, club-like glandular tips NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The dorsal sepal is erect, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The lateral sepals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide and spread widely. The petals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and spread widely. The labellum is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and white or yellowish with the tip rolled under and lacking a red tip. The sides of the labellum have thin teeth up to 8sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and there are four rows of pale red calli up to 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long in the centre. Flowering occurs from late October to early December.[1] [2] [3]
Caladenia lodgeana was first described in 2001 by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Phillip Brown from a specimen collected near Margaret River and the description was published in Nuytsia.[4] The specific epithet (lodgeana) honours the Western Australian orchid enthusiast Harry Lodge.
Lodge's spider orchid is only known from the area between Margaret River and Augusta in the Warren biogeographic region where it grows in seasonal swamps.
Only about 137 mature plants from two populations of C. lodgeana were known in 2008. The species is classified as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife and is listed as "Critically Endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The main threats to the species are inappropriate fire regimes, weed invasion, four-wheel driving, grazing, trampling, picking and continued drying of wetlands due to water extraction and land clearance.[5]