Galanthus and referred to the French vernacular name, "" (Snow-pierce), based on the plants tendency to push through early spring snow (see Ecology for illustration)]. The modern family of Amaryllidaceae, in which "Galanthus" is placed, dates to Jaume Saint-Hilaire (1805) who replaced Jussieu's Narcissi with "Amaryllidées". In 1810 Brown proposed that a subgroup of Liliaceae be distinguished on the basis of the position of the ovaries and be referred to as Amaryllideae and in 1813 de Candolle separated them by describing Liliacées and Amaryllidées as two quite separate families. However, in his comprehensive survey of the Flora of France (Flore française,
Caladenia nivalis description was published in "Nuytsia". The specific epithet ("nivalis") is a Latin word meaning "snowy" or "of snow" referring to the bright white flowers of this species. The exotic spider orchid occurs between Cape Naturaliste and Moses Rock in the Jarrah Forest and Warren biogeographic regions where it grows in peppermint woodland, coastal heath and in granite crevices. "Caladenia nivalis" is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. Caladenia nivalis Caladenia nivalis, commonly known as the exotic spider orchid or crystalline spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of