Caladenia picta, commonly known as painted fingers, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single, sparsely hairy leaf and a single white or pink flower with a greenish-white back. Unlike many other caladenias, it flowers in autumn.
Caladenia picta is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single, sparsely hairy, linear leaf, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1. A single flower NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide is borne on a stalk NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The sepals and petals are white to pink on the front, greenish-white on the back and spread fan-like. The dorsal sepal is erect or slightly curved forward, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The lateral sepals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and the petals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide. The labellum is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and usually white with pink margins. The sides of the labellum curve up strongly and the tip curls downwards, and is orange-yellow with narrow teeth on the edge. There are two rows of calli with clubbed heads in the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs from April to June.[1] [2]
This caladenia was first described in 1931 by William Nicholls who gave it the name Caladenia alba var. picta and published the description in The Victorian Naturalist.[3] In 1989 Mark Clements raised the variety to species status and published the change in Australian Orchid Research.[4] [5] The specific epithet (picta) is a Latin word meaning "painted".[6]
Painted fingers is found in coastal districts of New South Wales, south from the Newcastle where it grows in eucalyptus woodland or forest.