ORCHIDACEAE

Black Tongue Caladenia (orchid)

Endangered 

0.15m - 0.25m (15-25cm) 

Bright deep pink or pale reddish-purple, 3cm diameter, narrow sepals and petals. 

Papery capsule 

Slender, slightly hairy plant with erect flowering stem; very narrow leaf, shorter than stem. 

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Devonport; Dorset; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Kentish; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; West Tamar 

Sedgeland and Wetland; Wet Eucalypt Forest 

Fairly rare in wet places in eucalypt woodlands and high rainfall areas in the north. 

Dry; Moist; Moist; Shady; Waterlogged 

Tender 

Loam; Sandy; Well-drained 

Fire frequency moderate to high, flowers may last up to 10 weeks if not pollinated. Suitable below powerlines. 

 

Standard 

 

 

Orchid seeds are very minute yellow, brown or blackish dust-like particles. Orchid seeds are produced within a capsule that splits at maturity and releases tousands to millions of seeds. Dispersed by wind and water and only germinate following infection of the embryo by a suitable mycorrhizal fungus. Very few seeds become mature plants. For more information see Jones, Wapstra, Tonelli, Harris (1999): The Orchids of Tasmania.