Caladenia minorata

Description

Caladenia minorata is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber. It has a single dark green, very hairy, egg-shaped leaf, 10–30 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide, lying flat on the ground. One or deep violet-blue, rarely white flowers, 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long and wide are borne on a spike 40–160 mm (2–6 in) tall. The outer surface of the sepals and petals is light coloured and hairy. The dorsal sepal is 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. The lateral sepals have similar dimensions to the dorsal sepal and spread apart from each other. The petals are 10–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide and spread widely. The labellum is an elongated heart shape, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide, bluish-purple with a white tip and with a furrow near its base. At the base of the labellum there are two large, club-shaped calli joined at their bases, each with a fleshy black top. Flowering occurs from July to October, more prolifically after bushfire.