''Caladenia maritima'', commonly known as coastal fingers or Angahook pink fingers, is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Victoria. It has a single, almost hairless leaf, and one or white flowers with greenish backs. It only occurs in the coastal district of Anglesea.

Description

''Caladenia maritima'' is a terrestrial,

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with an underground

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

and a single, almost glabrous, linear leaf, long and wide. One or two white flowers long and wide are borne on a stalk tall. The backs of the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are greenish with a dark line along the centre. The dorsal sepal is erect, sometimes curving backwards and is long and wide. The lateral sepals are long, wide and spreading. The petals are long and wide and arranged like the lateral sepals. The labellum is long, wide and white with purple lines and blotches. The tip of the labellum is orange and curled under. The sides of the labellum have a few narrow teeth near the tip and there are two short rows of yellow or white calli in the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs from September to October.

Taxonomy and naming

''Caladenia maritima'' was first described in 1999 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Anglesea, and his description was published in ''The Orchadian''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''maritima'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word meaning "of the sea".

Distribution and habitat

Coastal fingers occurs near Anglesea in a single population, growing in woodland with a heathy understorey.

Conservation

''Caladenia maritima'' is not classified under the Victorian Government

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

or under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, but has been listed as "endangered" in Victoria according to the ''Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Vascular Plants in Victoria – 2004''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9673746 maritima Orchids of Victoria (state) Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 1999 Taxa named by David L. Jones (botanist)