Caladenia chamaephylla, commonly known as redleaf fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a ground orchid with a single leaf and a single pink flower which is brownish-pink on the back. Unlike the leaves of most caladenias, this one has a leaf which lies flat on the ground and flowers appear in late autumn or winter.
Caladenia chamaephylla is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single leaf, 30âÂÂ100 mm long and 3âÂÂ6 mm wide which lies flat on the ground. A single pink flower which is brownish-pink on the back and 12âÂÂ15 mm long and 15âÂÂ20 mm wide is borne on a spike 80âÂÂ160 mm high. The sepal is erect, 10âÂÂ15 mm long and about 3 mm wide and the sepals are 12âÂÂ16 mm long, 3âÂÂ5 mm wide. The petals are 9âÂÂ14 mm long, about 3 mm wide and with the lateral sepals, spread fan-like in front of the flower. The labellum is 7âÂÂ9 mm long and about 7 mm wide, and white to pale pink with dark pink bars. The tip of the labellum curves downwards with six to eight short teeth and each side and two rows of yellow calli in the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs in May to July.
Caladenia chamaephylla was first formally described by David Jones in 1999 and the description was published in The Orchadian from a specimen collected near Cooktown. The specific epithet (chamaephylla) is derived from the Ancient Greek words ÃÂñüñï chamai meaning "on the ground" and ÃÂÃÂûûÿý phyllon meaning "leaf".
Redleaf fingers grows in open forest among low shrubs in a small area south of Cooktown.