Leaves basal, 1 per shoot, convolute, sparsely to densely covered in patent trichomes.
Inflorescence racemose, 1–several-flowered, terminal; flowers resupinate. Dorsal sepal free, similar to or slightly shorter and narrower than lateral sepals. Lateral sepals free or rarely basally fused. Lateral petals free, similar to, or longer than dorsal sepal. Labellum free, attached at base of column [or rarely to column foot] by a short claw; lamina strongly to weakly 3-lobed, with weakly to strongly toothed margins, with few to many stalked calli, usually in 2–many longitudinal rows. Column lacking free filament and style; column wings fused to column, expansive in upper half, narrow to broad. Column foot absent [or stalk-like and about half as long as column]. Anther erect, parallel to the axis of the column, persistent. Pollinia 4, soft and mealy. Stigma entire. Rostellum ventral.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Flowers 'spidery', sepals and lateral petals with narrow elongated tails or strongly acuminate apices that often form swollen apical clubs; column base often bearing a pair of swollen yellowish glands | 2 |
| Flowers compact, not 'spidery', sepals and lateral petals obtuse to acute, without elongated tails; column base never bearing a pair of swollen glands | 18 |
| 2 | Sepal tails filiform | 3 |
| Sepal tails thickened into globose, conical to linear clubs
Back to 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Bases of sepals and lateral petals so narrow-linear they appear almost continuous with much acuminate-filamentous tails (tails often forming an entangled web); base of the column lacks paired glands, often hairy | 4 |
| Base of sepals and lateral petals stiffer and broader so they do not appear continuous with acuminate-filamentous tails (tails rarely forming an entangled web); base of column with 2 yellowish paired glands, not hairy
Back to 2 | 5 |
| 4 | Labellum reduced (up to 10 mm long and 3 mm wide), without distinct lobes, ovate-oblong; basal calli on stalks less than 1 mm long | Caladenia filamentosa |
| Labellum larger (up to 10 long and 6.5 mm wide), 3-lobed, linear to cordate; basal calli on stalks more than 1 mm long
Back to 3 | Caladenia flaccida |
| 5 | Sepals short (less than 3.5 cm long) with short tails or just strongly acuminate | 6 |
| Sepals and lateral petals long (4–8 cm) with long tails
Back to 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Labellum cream-yellow with reddish margins and striations | Caladenia tessellata |
| Labellum green with maroon tip
Back to 5 | Caladenia concinna |
| 7 | Labellum basal margins toothed; sepal and lateral petal tails densely covered with long, dark hairs | 8 |
| Labellum basal margins entire; sepals and lateral petal tails sparsely covered with short hairs-papillae
Back to 5 | Caladenia clavigera |
| 8 | Sepals more than 5 cm long; labellum creamish yellow, marginal teeth usually less than 3 mm long | Caladenia arenaria |
| Sepals less than 5 cm long; labellum dark purple, marginal teeth about 3 mm long with acute curving tips
Back to 7 | Caladenia concolor |
| 9 | Labellum broad-cordate with basal margins entire; clubs of lateral sepals often much smaller (reduced to minute knobs) than the club on the dorsal sepal | Caladenia clavigera |
| Labellum ovate or strongly 3-lobed with basal margins sparsely to densely toothed; clubs of lateral sepals near the same size and shape as the club on the dorsal sepal
Back to 2 | 10 |
| 10 | Lateral petals ending in swollen clubs similar in size and shape to those on the tips of the lateral sepals | Caladenia leptoclavia |
| Lateral petals ending in flat acute tips
Back to 9 | 11 |
| 11 | Labellum 3-lobed (lateral lobes greenish), marginal teeth on lateral lobes long (curved and comb-like); central calli densely packed (heads usually swollen, golfstick-like) | 12 |
| Labellum ovate to triangular (base cream-yellow), marginal teeth short (linear to falcate) forming a continuous 'fringe' to labellum tip; central calli in regular parallel rows (heads reduced, linear)
Back to 10 | 15 |
| 12 | Labellum about as long as broad (c. 10 mm long and 10 mm wide) with short midlobe, marginal combs reduced and blunted; sepals to 2 cm with terminal clubs taking no more than 10% of the total length of the sepal | Caladenia concinna |
| Labellum longer than broad by 2–5 mm with elongated midlobe, marginal combs long and acute; sepals much longer than 2 cm with terminal clubs taking up 25–33% the total length of each sepal
Back to 11 | 13 |
| 13 | Sepals more than 5 cm long; inflorescence 30–45 cm high | Caladenia tentaculata |
| Sepals less than 5 cm (to 4.5 cm); inflorescence less than 30 cm high
Back to 12 | 14 |
| 14 | Central calli heads narrowing into short, hooked tips; sepals to 3 cm long (club usually a dull brown) | Caladenia phaeoclavia |
| Central calli heads rounded and swollen; sepals 3.5–4.5 cm long (club usually green)
Back to 13 | Caladenia verrucosa |
| 15 | Sepals 25–30 mm long, sepal clubs less than 10 mm long; flowering Sept.–Oct., from the coast to the inland plains, except for montane regions | 16 |
| Sepals 30–50 mm long, sepal clubs 10–15 mm long; flowering Nov.– Jan., in montane regions
Back to 11 | 17 |
| 16 | Sepal clubs 5–8 mm long, sepals and lateral petals stiffly spreading; leaf base constricted and woolly | Caladenia stellata |
| Sepal clubs 3 mm long, sepals and lateral petals drooping, leaf base continuous and weakly covered in short hairs
Back to 15 | Caladenia sp. A sensu Harden (1993) |
| 17 | Central calli with hooked heads shorter than calli stalks, marginal teeth coarse and curved narrow-triangular; sepals and lateral petals a pale yellowish green | Caladenia flavovirens |
| Central calli with linear curving heads longer than calli stalks, marginal teeth fine bristles; sepals and lateral petals yellowish green with reddish purple stripes
Back to 15 | Caladenia fitzgeraldii |
| 18 | Dorsal sepal strongly incurved, tightly embracing the column (narrow cap to spreading bonnet) and flower buds always opening during the floral life span; upper surface of labellum ornamented with short calli that are often dark purplish with heads often overlapping, distinctly scaled or scabby-granular (marginal teeth often dark and warty) | 19 |
| Dorsal sepal weakly incurved or spreading, or some flower buds never opening during the floral life span; upper surface of labellum variously ornamented but calli never dark purplish, heads rarely overlapping, usually not scaled or scabby-granular, (marginal teeth various but never dark and warty)
Back to 1 | 27 |
| 19 | Labellum with central calli in 2 rows; calli heads overlapping, shiny scales extending to apex | Caladenia congesta |
| Labellum with central calli in 4 rows; calli heads crowded (not overlapping) resembling granular to scabrous warts to extending to apex or apex lacking calli
Back to 18 | 20 |
| 20 | Sepals and lateral petals 8–13 mm long, narrow, inner surfaces often pale green, yellow-brown or suffused with pink | 21 |
| Sepals and lateral petals 14–20 mm long, broad, inner surfaces whitish
Back to 19 | 24 |
| 21 | Labellum with lateral lobes prominent and margins entire; sepals and lateral petals often gold tinted, usually lacking darker tips | Caladenia transitoria |
| Labellum with lateral lobes obscure and margins toothed with calli; sepals and lateral petals often with purplish or brownish tips
Back to 20 | 22 |
| 22 | Flowers white to yellow or greenish white, tips of sepals brownish | 23 |
| Flowers white to pink, tips of sepals magenta
Back to 21 | Caladenia clarkiae |
| 23 | Central calli extending onto the midlobe, crowded | Caladenia testacea |
| Central calli not extending onto the midlobe
Back to 22 | Caladenia hildae |
| 24 | Leaf lanceolate; sepals with broadened tips, the dorsal sepal forming an expanded 'bonnet' over the column | Caladenia lyallii |
| Leaf narrow-linear; sepals with lanceolate tips, the dorsal sepal forming a narrower cap over the column
Back to 20 | 25 |
| 25 | Labellum margins with stout teeth with scabrous stalks and swollen heads; inflorescence to 25 cm high | Caladenia cucullata |
| Labellum margins bearing slender teeth with smooth-papillose stalks and narrowing heads; inflorescence to 30–40 cm high
Back to 24 | 26 |
| 26 | Lateral sepals up to 5 mm longer than the conspicuously shorter dorsal sepal, labellum margins with long, finger-like teeth; leaf to 18 cm long | Caladenia dimorpha |
| Length of all 3 sepals similar, c. 15 mm, labellum margins with short triangular teeth; leaf to 30 cm long
Back to 25 | Caladenia gracilis |
| 27 | Flower buds fail to open throughout floral life span (segments enveloping column); labellum with central calli reduced to mere vestiges, dull and pale | Caladenia cleistantha |
| Flower buds opening during floral life span (segments spreading away from column); labellum with central calli developed, often colourful
Back to 18 | 28 |
| 28 | Labellum with central calli arranged in 2 or 3 parallel, rows (calli organised into single lines or compressed pairs); calli suberect to erect, stalks smooth with globose golfstick heads | 29 |
| Labellum with central calli not arranged in 2 parallel rows (each 'row' not grading into 2 congested rows, calli not paired in each row); calli angled-curving, stalks often papillose with small pointed tips
Back to 27 | 39 |
| 29 | Flowers blue to purplish blue (including hairs on outer surfaces), labellum with blue bands and central calli rows extending onto midlobe almost to tip | Cyanicula caerulea |
| Flowers never blue (including hairs on outer surfaces); labellum without blue bands (bands absent or pink-red) and central calli rows usually stopping before the midlobe
Back to 28 | 30 |
| 30 | Labellum midlobe margin with a pair of much exaggerated calli or flat teeth flanking the base; each of these basal ornaments always the longest, broadest (often thickest and most colourful) marginal ornaments | 31 |
| Labellum midlobe margins without a pair of much exaggerated calli or flat teeth flanking the base; basal ornaments not obviously the longest nor broadest (nor thickest and most colourful) marginal ornaments
Back to 29 | 33 |
| 31 | Base of labellum midlobe margins flanked by a large pair of knobbed calli followed by 2 or 3 pairs of shorter marginal calli | Caladenia curtisepala |
| Base of labellum midlobe margins flanked by a large pair of flat, irregular teeth the remainder of the midlobe margins entire to subentire
Back to 30 | 32 |
| 32 | Flowers less than 15 mm diam., tips of lateral petals sharply curved; labellum midlobe narrow, lateral lobes (and anther cap) unblotched; scattered through damp heath and woodland | Caladenia alata |
| Flowers more than 20 mm diam., tips of lateral petals not sharply curved; labellum midlobe broad and irregular, lateral lobes (and anther cap) blotched purple; restricted to coastal sandy sites
Back to 31 | Caladenia hillmanii |
| 33 | Sepals and lateral petals 5–7 mm long, outer surfaces covered with reddish brown glandular hairs; inflorescences to 15 cm long | 34 |
| Sepals and lateral petals usually more than 7 mm long, outer surfaces with central lines of greenish glandular hairs; inflorescence often more than 15 cm long
Back to 30 | 35 |
| 34 | Lateral sepals fused for 50–100% of their length | Caladenia pusilla |
| Lateral sepals free
Back to 33 | Caladenia fuscata |
| 35 | Labellum lamina with red transverse bars, midlobe broad-triangular | 36 |
| Labellum lamina lacking red transverse bars, midlobe triangular
Back to 33 | 38 |
| 36 | Central calli in 4–6 rows, midlobe margins with stalked teeth with rounded heads | Caladenia quadrifaria |
| Central calli in 2 rows, midlobe margins with flat, irregular teeth
Back to 35 | 37 |
| 37 | Central calli and labellum apex yellowish orange; sepals and lateral petals 13–20 mm long, pale to deep pink on inner surface | Caledenia quadrifaria |
| Central calli and labellum apex yellow; sepals and lateral petals 8–15 mm long, white to pale pink on inner surface
Back to 36 | Caladenia carnea |
| 38 | Marginal teeth of labellum midlobe short, blunt; column interior green splashed with red | Caladenia picta |
| Marginal teeth of labellum midlobe elongated, acute, comb-like and undulating; column interior usually green
Back to 35 | Caladenia catenata |
| 39 | Labellum bearing linear calli in 4–8 rows continuous with marginal fringe; flowers usually blue | Pheladenia deformis |
| Labellum bearing stout calli in a congested semicircle not continuous with few marginal calli; flowers usually pink
Back to 28 | Caladenia latifolia |
