Caladenia concolor
W.Fitzg. Crimson Spider-orchidFlowering plant 15–25 cm tall. Leaf 8–15 cm long, 8–10 mm wide. Flowers 1 or 2; perianth segments 2.5–4 cm long, dark purplish-red to crimson; sepals flattened at base, 2–3 mm wide, gradually tapered to a long tail, densely covered in crowded, ovoid to ellipsoid glands; petals shorter than sepals but otherwise similar. Labellum curved forward with apex recurved and lateral lobes erect, lamina ovate to broadly ovate-lanceolate, obscurely 3-lobed, 11–13 mm long, 8–10 mm wide (when flattened), dark purplish-red; margins of lateral lobes fringed with linear calli to 1 mm long; margins of mid-lobe with shorter calli becoming fused towards tip; lamina calli in 4 crowded rows, the central rows extending well onto mid-lobe, narrow, foot-shaped, c. 2 mm long at base of lamina, decreasing in size towards apex. Flowers Sep.–Oct.
VVP, VRiv, GipP, Gold, CVU, NIS, HSF, VAlp. Also SA, NSW. Sporadic and uncommon in dry open-forests, mostly of north-eastern Victoria, on ridges and slopes in well-drained shallow stony or skeletal soils.
Characterized by its wholly purplish-red flowers. Has been confused with other similar taxa: see Caladenia clavescens and C. formosa.
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.