Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema
subspecies of plant

Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema, commonly known as the late white spider orchid or Seaton Ross spider orchid is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and one or two mainly white flowers with long, mostly spreading lateral sepals and petals. It is a relatively rare orchid which is similar to the tangled white spider orchid (subspecies redacta) but has larger flowers and a later flowering period.
Description
Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and which usually grows as solitary plants. It has a single hairy leaf, 100–170 mm (4–7 in) long and 5–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) wide. One or two mostly white flowers 80–110 mm (3–4 in) long and 60–90 mm (2–4 in) wide are borne on a spike 160–300 mm (6–10 in) tall. The dorsal sepal is erect, 50–80 mm (2–3 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide. The lateral sepals are 60–95 mm (2–4 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide and the petals are 55–80 mm (2–3 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide.
“Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema” enters the record as subspecies of plant. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Caladenia, longicauda and subsp can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Caladenia, longicauda and subsp provides the most credible route into that argument.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 31, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q26205516. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema primary sources, Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema archive and Caladenia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Caladenia longicauda subsp. extrema” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.