Scientific Name: Caladenia cracens Endemic Having a natural distribution confined to a particular geographic region
Common Name: elegant finger-orchid
Family Classification (Clade): Monocots
Family: Orchidaceae
Form Description: Small cap orchid with leaf narrowly linear, dark green, base reddish purple. Scape sparsely hairy.
Height (m): 0.08 – 0.15
Flowers: 1-2 flowers, white to pale pink, pink to reddish externally, labellum whitish, heavily suffused and barred with red, mid-lobe cream, calli cream or yellow, column whitish with red suffusions and bars. Sweetly scented.
Fruit: Papery capsule
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Shrubby and heathy open eucalypt forest, teatree shrubland and heathland below 400m. Often favouring damp and poorly drained sites.
Site Tolerance
Moist, Shady, Waterlogged
Soil Tolerance
Clay, Fertile, Loam, Nutrient-poor, Poorly-drained
Frost Tolerance
Moderate
General Notes
Relatively high fire frequency habitat.
Propagation Calendar
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Flowering Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Seed Collecting Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Sowing Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Cutting Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Propagation Method
Seed Information
Seed Treatment Notes
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 thousands 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.