
Tiny Pink-Fingers
Caladenia pusilla
Family Orchidaceae
About
Caladenia pusilla, commonly known as tiny fingers, pygmy caladenia, tiny caladenia or pink fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to Australia and New Zealand. It is a ground orchid with a single erect, sparsely hairy leaf and a single pink flower with a brownish-pink back. The flowers are short-lived and self-pollinating.
How to spot it
Caladenia pusilla is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, sparsely hairy leaf, 30–60 mm (1–2 in) long, 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide. A single flower 50–80 mm (2–3 in) long and 80–100 mm (3–4 in) wide is borne on a relatively thick spike 40–100 mm (2–4 in) tall. The flower is pink with a brownish-pink back and often a white centre. The dorsal sepal is erect at its base but curves forward and is 50–70 mm (2–3 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide.
Documented on these trails
Found in
- Deep Creek National Park — Adelaide, the Hills & Fleurieu Peninsula hikes
Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Caladenia pusilla
Photo via iNaturalist Australia (CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Int)), collected by lilymack