Caladenia septuosa, commonly known as the Koppio spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single erect, sparsely hairy leaf and usually only one greenish-cream flower with red stripes along the sepals and petals.
Caladenia septuosa is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, sparsely hairy leaf. The leaf is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and dull green. Usually only a single greenish-cream flower NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 across is borne on a spike NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The sepals, but not the petals, have brown, club-like glandular tips NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The dorsal sepal is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and curves forward. The lateral sepals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide, spread apart and curve downwards. The petals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, about 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and arranged like the lateral sepals. The labellum is NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and wide, green and white with a dark red tip. The sides of the labellum turn upwards and have three or four pairs of thin green teeth up to 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, and the tip curves downwards. There are four or six rows of dark red calli up to 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, along the labellum mid-line. Flowering occurs from September to October.[1] [2]
Caladenia septuosa was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[3] The specific epithet (septuosa) is a Latin word meaning "obscure"[4] referring to the small lateral lobes on the labellum.
The Koppio spider orchid is endemic to the Eyre Peninsula where it grows in woodland.
Caladenia septuosa is locally common and conserved in reserves.