Caladenia carnea

Pink Fingers Orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Genus:	Caladenia
Species:	C. carnea
Binomial name
Caladenia carnea R.Br. (1810)
Synonyms
Caladenia angustata Hook.f. (1858) Caladenia carnea var. subulata Nicholls (1945) Caladenia catenata f. carnea (R.Br.) N. Hallé (1977) Petalochilus carneus (R.Br.) D.L. Jones & M.A. Clem. (2001)

The Pink Fingers Orchid (Caladenia carnea) is a deciduous terrestrial orchid species which grows throughout eastern Australia and Tasmania. It is the type species of the genus Caladenia.

The flowers are to about 20mm across and are various shades of pink, although all white or nearly white flowers are common. They have a single grass like leaf and up to three bracts along the flower stem. The flower stem is between 15 and 30 cm high topped by one (occasionally two) flowers. The large amount of variation indicates that Caladenia carnea is quite likely a complex of related species. They generally tolerate most weather conditions, however, soil must be quite free draining. They often rely on mycorrhizal fungi in the native soil.^[1]

Pink Fingers orchid, Caladenia carnea. Size in relationship to a finger.

References

1. The Australasian Native Orchid Society [Qld) – Kabi Group Inc (Caladenia carnea)

External links