Caladenia insularis
G.W.CarrFlowering plant (20–)30–40 cm tall. Leaf 5–10 cm long, 7–10 mm wide. Flowers solitary (rarely 2); perianth segments 2.5–6 cm long, cream, pink or pale yellow, heavily streaked and suffused with red; sepals with slender reddish clubs 10–25 mm long; dorsal sepal 3–6 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, incurved; lateral sepals 3–6 mm long, 4–5 mm wide, divergent, deflexed; petals 2.5–4.5 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, spreading to deflexed, flattened at base, tapered to a long acuminate apex, sometimes with short thickened clubs. Labellum curved forward with apex recurved and lateral lobes erect, lamina ovate, obscurely 3-lobed, 10–13 mm long and 7–9 mm wide (when flattened), red at least distally, proximal half often paler red or yellowish-cream, with red veins; marginal calli on lateral lobes to 1 mm long, diminishing in size towards the entire or slightly irregular mid-lobe; lamina calli in 4 or 6 rows, glossy, well spaced, not extending onto mid-lobe, stout and flat-topped, to 1 mm long at base of lamina, decreasing in size towards apex. Flowers Sep.–Oct.
GipP. Endemic to Victoria where currently known from 3 localities on French Island in dense heath and heathy woodland on well-drained sandy soils.
Due to our limited knowledge of this taxon, the extent to which the morphology and colour vary is unknown. It is very similar to Caladenia robinsonii which grows in a similar habitat some 30 km away (across Western Port). It is also difficult to delineate differences precisely between both C. robinsonii and C. insularis and other species in the C. reticulata group (e.g. C. calcicola, C. lowanensis and C. australis).
Entwisle, T.J. (1994). Orchidaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 740–901. Inkata Press, Melbourne.