Scientific Name: Caladenia prolata
Common Name: white fingers
Family Classification (Clade): Monocots
Family: Orchidaceae
Threatened Species Status: Endangered
Permit: It is an offence to collect, disturb, damage or destroy this species unless under permit.
Form Description: Medium sized finger orchid. Leaf linear, dark green, red base, sparsely hairy. Scape relatively stout, sparsely hairy.
Height (m): 0.12 – 0.24
Flowers: Flowers 1-2, dull white internally, greenish with red bands and densely hairy externally, labellum pink with narrow dark red transverse bars, apex pale yellow, calli lemon coloured, column greenish with red transverse bars. Self pollinating.
Fruit: Papery capsule
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Highly localised, growing on coastal sandy soils, often in association with grasstrees on islands in the Furneaux group.
Site Tolerance
Exposed, Moist
Soil Tolerance
Clay, Loam, Sandy, Well-drained
Frost Tolerance
Tender
General Notes
Maybe intolerant of high fire frequency.
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.