Caladenia catenata
(Sm.) Druce White CaladeniaFlowering plant slender, 10–30 cm tall. Leaf linear, 6–14 cm long, 3–4 mm wide. Flowers 1 or 2, white, rarely pinkish, with an orange tip on the labellum; perianth segments sparsely hairy on outside, mostly towards the base; dorsal sepal erect or incurved, linear-oblong, 15–22 mm long; lateral sepals 15–25 mm long, spreading, slightly oblique, narrowly elliptic; petals spreading, 15–22 mm long. Labellum sessile, 3-lobed, 8–10 mm long, 6–8 mm wide (when flattened), white or pinkish, lateral lobes narrow, obtuse, margins entire, or toothed apically; mid-lobe triangular, recurved, longer than lateral lobes, orange-yellow at the apex, margins with finger-like teeth; lamina calli in 2 rows extending to base of mid-lobe, elongate, mostly clubbed, yellow or white. Column incurved, winged throughout, broader towards tip, inside often with a band of maroon or red in middle region; anther with a short point. Flowers Sep.–Nov.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, VVP, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, Strz, MonT, VAlp. Also Qld, NSW. Scattered and uncommon in open-forests and woodlands of foothills and lowlands from near Meredith eastward to the NSW border near Genoa.
Some Victorian plants of Caladenia catenata have a reddish or maroonish band on the inside of the column, a feature characteristic of the Qld and NSW species C. picta. However, C. picta flowers earlier (May-July) and has the flowers held slightly more erect than in C. catenata.
In the Yarram area, apparent hybrids occur between C. catenata and C. carnea, and flowers of true C. catenata in this region can be quite pink in colour.
Caladenia maritima (from the Anglesea area) differs from C. catenata in its almost glabrous leaf and dark purplish transverse bars on the labellum lamina.
Entwisle, T.J. (1994). Orchidaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 740–901. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
