ORCHIDACEAE

Tiny Caladenia (orchid)

Rare 

0.04m - 0.1m (4-10cm) 

flower single often not opening widely, usually pink internally, commonly paler towards the centre, brownish pink externally, labellum white or pink narrow red bars, mid-lobe cream to pale yellow, calli yellow, column green with red bars. 

Papery capsule 

Leaf narrowly linear, sparsely hairy. Scape relatively sturdy hairy. 

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Circular Head; Dorset; Flinders Island; King Island; Kingborough; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast 

Coastal Vegetation; Dry Eucalypt Forest and Woodland 

Mainly heathland, occasionally open forest. 

Exposed; Exposed 

Tender 

Loam; Poor; Sandy; Well-drained 

C. pussila. has smallest flower of the Caladenia. genus in Tas. Flowering promoted by fire. Well represented in reserves. 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.