''Caladenia quadrifaria'', commonly known as the large pink fingers orchid is a plant in the orchid family

Orchidaceae 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 ...

and is

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 ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. It is a ground orchid with a single, sparsely hairy leaf and up to three pale to bright pink flowers.

Description

''Caladenia quadrifaria'' 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, sparsely hairy, linear leaf, long and wide. Up to three pale pink to bright pink flowers are borne on a spike tall. The flowers are greenish-pink or brownish pink on their back where there are many glandular hairs. The dorsal sepal is long, wide and the lateral sepals are long and wide. The

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 long, wide and spread fan-like with the lateral sepals. The labellum is long and wide, and pink with reddish bars. The sides of the labellum turn upwards and the tip is curled under. There are four to eight long teeth on each side of the labellum near its tip and four to six rows of large, club-shaped calli along its mid-line. Flowering occurs from August to November.

Taxonomy and naming

''Caladenia quadrifaria'' was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones and the description was published in ''Australian Orchid Research''. It had previously been known as a variety of ''

Caladenia carnea ''Caladenia carnea'', commonly known as pink fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It has a single thin, green leaf and one to five white or pink flowers w ...

'' identified, but not described by

Richard Rogers Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British architect noted for his modernist and Functionalism (architecture), functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. He was a senior partner a ...

. In 1999, David Jones also described ''Caladenia porphyrea'' but it has not been recognised by the

National Herbarium of New South Wales The National Herbarium of New South Wales was established in 1853. The Herbarium has a collection of more than 1.4 million plant specimens, making it the second largest collection of pressed, dried plant specimens in Australia,Thiers, B. ...

as a separate species.

Distribution and habitat

The large pink fingers orchid occurs in coastal areas of New South Wales between

Brunswick Heads Brunswick Heads is a small town on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia in Byron Shire. At the , the town had a population of 1,737 people. History Originally inhabited by people of the Bundjalung people, Bundjalung nation, the Bru ...

and

Lake Tabourie Tabourie Lake, formerly Toubouree Lake is a small village in the suburb of , in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia and is within the City of Shoalhaven local government area. The village takes its name from the lagoon formed ...

where it grows in forest on slopes and ridges.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9673892 quadrifaria Plants described in 1991 Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Taxa named by David L. Jones (botanist)