Caladenia toxochila
TateFlowering plant 8–20 cm tall. Leaf 5–12 cm long, 10–15 mm wide, sometimes dotted red at base. Flowers 1 or 2; perianth segments 1.2–2.5 cm long, yellowish-green with red stripes, sepals with glandular tips; glands sessile and scattered to moderately crowded; lateral sepals deflexed near ovary, more or less parallel, dilated asymmetrically at base, 2–4 mm wide, tapered to a filiform glandular tip; petals deflexed, similar to sepals but narrower and without glands. Labellum curved forward, flattish to concave in middle region, more or less ovate, 3-lobed, 10–12 mm long, 10–12 mm wide (when flattened), mostly green with a recurved purple mid-lobe; margins entire in basal portion, lateral lobes toothed towards mid-lobe, teeth numerous, linear or oblong to c. 1 mm long, mid-lobe crenate to shallowly toothed; lamina calli in 4 congested rows ending at the base of the mid-lobe, club-shaped, fleshy, blackish, c. 1.5 mm long at base of lamina, diminishing in size toward apex. Flowers Aug.–Oct.
LoM, Wim, Gold, HSF. Also SA. Scattered across the State, from Kiata near Nhill. Apparently confined to western Victoria (e.g. Little Desert, Bealiba, Creswick) in heathy or grassy woodland and mallee scrub on well-drained sandy soil.
Caladenia amoena differs from C. toxochila in having flowers lighter-coloured, sepals with less prominent glandular tips, and labellum lamina calli thinner, dark reddish (rather than blackish) and only moderately congested.
The closely related New South Wales species, C. concinna differs from C. toxochila in having paler flowers and a more widely flared labellum which is distinctly 3-lobed, and usually has longer marginal teeth (c. 3 mm long) and lamina calli congested in 6 irregular rows.
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