Vascular Plants
Australian Plant Name Index (APNI)
The Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) is a tool for the botanical community that deals with plant names and their usage in the scientific literature, whether as a current name or synonym. APNI does not recommend any particular taxonomy or nomenclature. For a listing of currently accepted scientific names for the Australian vascular flora, please use the Australian Plant Census (APC) link above.
Etymology:"Named from the Latin barba (beard) and the diminutive suffix -ella (small), alluding to the smaller flower size compared with that of Caladenia brbarossa. Barbarella of the 1960's French comic strip was also a ficticious lady from outer space who used sexual deception on males to gain power over them ... The epithet is therefore appropriately derived from this context as well, given that the species is pollinated by sexual deception of male thynnid wasps."
APC Comment:This taxon was invalidly published as Drakonorchis barbarella by Hoffman & Brown in 1992 and 1998. It was subsequently validated by Clements & Jones in 2002. However, Hopper & Brown published this taxon as Caladenia barbarella in 2001; they adopt a broader concept of Caladenia, including Drakonorchis, on the basis of molecular data which shows Drakonorchis embedded within Caladenia. Hopper & Brown's concept is followed here.
