Paracaleana nigrita, commonly know as the Flying Duck Orchid is distinguished from other Duck Orchids by the calli, which cover more than half of the length of the narrow labellum. The labellum of this species is distinctly humped about halfway along its length.
The flying duck orchids (Paracaleana) are so called due to their resemblance to flying ducks. They are a small species that are common throughout the lower south west and out towards the western wheatbelt.
The name Paracaleana is derived from the Greek para (beside, alongside) and Caleana, referring to its close relationship with the genus Caleana (named in honour of George Caley , 10 June 1770 – 23 May 1829, who was an English botanist and explorer).
There is still some controversy with the genus and species name, with internet searches bringing up result for both Paracaleana nigrita and Caleana nigrita:
The small duck orchid was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley from an incomplete description by James Drummond in Edwards’s Botanical Register. Drummond had given it the name Caleana nigrita and Lindley published his description in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony. In 1972 Donald Blaxell changed the name to Paracaleana nigrita but the name change has not been accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and in 1989 Mark Clements noted that none of the characters used to separate Paracaleana from Caleana is “sufficiently significant” to maintain two genera. The specific epithet (nigrita) is a Latin word meaning “blackened”.
Source: Wikipedia2
However, this is considered incorrect, with at the time of writing, the only species in the genus Caleana is Caleana major and Calean minor (both on the eastern side of Australia). All others are under genus Paracaleana (for more information, see The Complete Orchids of Western Australia, by Andrew Brown).7
Photographs © Terry Dunham
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Charophyta
- Class: Equisetopsida
- Subclass: Magnoliidae
- Superorder: Lilianae
- Order: Asparagales
- Family: Orchidaceae
- Genus: Caleana
- Species: Caleana nigrita
- Synonyms: Paracaleana nigrita (Lindl.) Blaxell
Footnote & References
- Paracaleana nigrita (Flying Duck Orchid), Stirling Range National Park WA. Photographs © Terry Dunham
- Caleana nigrita, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caleana_nigrita
- Caleana nigrita J.Drumm. ex Lindl., Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/taxon/apni/51399674
- Flying Duck Orchid (Caleana nigrita), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/796688-Caleana-nigrita
- Paracaleana nigrita (Lindl.) Blaxell, Flying Duck Orchid, Western Australian Herbarium (1998–). Florabase—the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Accessed 7 October 2023), https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/1667
- Paracaleana – Duck Orchids, Orchids of South-West Australia, https://chookman.id.au/wp_orchids/?page_id=732
- The Complete Orchids of Western Australia, by Andrew Brown, ISBN 0646862596, 9780646862590, available through The Australian Orchid Foundation Publications, https://australianorchidfoundation.org.au/publications-of-the-australian-orchid-foundation/
OrchidaceaeOrchidaceae Index Caladenia barbarossa (Dragon Orchid) Caladenia bryceana subsp. bryceana (Dwarf Spider Orchid) Caladenia corynephora (Club-lipped Spider Orchid) Caladenia integra (Smooth-lipped Spider Orchid) Caladenia latifolia (Pink Fairies) Caladenia lobata (Butterfly Spider Orchid) Caleana major (Flying Duck Orchid) Caladenia melanema (Ballerina Orchid) Caladenia polychroma (Joseph’s Spider Orchid) Caladenia pulchra (Slender Spider Orchid) Caladenia pusilla (Tiny Caladenia) Caladenia serotina (Christmas Spider Orchid) Caladenia tessellata (Thick-lip Spider Orchid) Cephalotus follicularis (Western Australian Pitcher Plant) Cryptostylis ovata (Slipper Orchid) Dendrobium kingianum (Pink Rock Orchid) Dendrobium speciosum (Rock Orchid) Drakaea glyptodon (King-in-his-carriage Orchid) Drakaea livida (Warty Hammer Orchid) Elythranthera emarginata (Pink Enamel Orchid) Epiblema grandiflorum (Babe-in-a-cradle Orchid) Ericksonella saccharata (Sugar Orchid) Glossodia major (Wax-lip Orchid) Leptoceras menziesii (Rabbit Orchid) Microtis cupularis (Cupped Mignonette Orchid) Paracaleana nigrita (Flying Duck Orchid) Pterostylis cheraphila (Floodplain Rustyhood) Pterostylis ciliata (Hairy Rufous Greenhood) Pterostylis picta (Painted Rufous Greenhood) Rhizanthella johnstonii (Southern Underground Orchid) Spiculaea ciliata (Elbow Orchid) Thelymitra antennifera (Lemon-scented Sun Orchid) Thelymitra sp. Ongerup (Orange Sun Orchids) Thelymitra speciosa (Eastern Queen of Sheba’s)
FloraFlora in Australia Flora Index Acacia Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paws) Annual Yellowtop Apium prostratum subsp. prostratum var filiforme Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) Australian Bluebell Australian Gossypium Banksia Batswing Coral Tree Billy Buttons Birdsville Indigo Blue Pincushion Bush Banana Callistemon Callitris drummondii (Drummond’s Cypress Pine) Calothamnus quadrifidus Cape Honeysuckle Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) Cattle Bush Common Heath Crotalaria Darwinia wittwerorum (Wittwer’s Mountain Bell) Daviesia oppositifolia (Rattle-pea) Desert Oaks Drumsticks Eremophila Eucalyptus Ficus Flannel Cudweed (Actinobole uliginosum) Georges Indigo Goatshead Burr (Sclerolaena bicornis) Golden Everlasting Goodenia Gossypium Grass and Grasses Grass Trees Grevillea Grey Germander Hakea Kapok Bush (Aerva javanica) Lambertia sp Leptospermum MacDonnell Ranges Cycad Maireana scleroptera Mexican Poppy Minnie Daisy Mistletoe Family Nardoo Native Apricot Nicotiana megalosiphon subspecies sessilifolia Nuytsia floribunda Orange Spade Flower Orchidaceae Parakeelyas (Calandrinia) Pebble Bush (Stylobasium spathulatum) Perennial Yellow Top Pink Everlasting Pink Rock Wort Poached Egg Daisy Portulaca Proteaceae Ptilotus Quandong Resurrection Fern Rosy Dock Ruby Saltbush Santalum Solanum Spike Centaury Spinifex Storkbill (Erodum cygnorum) Striped Mint Bush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tall Saltbush Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Tribulus eichlerianus Upside-down Plant Urodon dasyphylla Variable Daisy Waratah (Telopea) Wertabona Daisy White Cedar (Melia azedarach) White Indigo White Paper Daisy Wild Passionfruit Wild Stock Woolly-Headed Burr Daisy Woolly Bush Yellow-keeled Swainsona