Caladenia gracillima, commonly known as pretty fingers, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single leaf and up to three bright pink flowers. The type specimen was collected at Yandina in southern Queensland but there are also records from southern New South Wales.
Caladenia gracillima is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single leaf, 90âÂÂ150 mm long and 2âÂÂ3 mm wide. Up to three bright pink flowers with dusky pink backs and 25âÂÂ40 mm long, 20âÂÂ40 mm wide are borne on a stalk 100âÂÂ200 mm tall. The sepal is erect, 10âÂÂ18 mm long and 2âÂÂ4 mm wide. The sepals are 13âÂÂ25 mm long, 4âÂÂ6 mm wide and the petals are 12âÂÂ22 mm long, 2âÂÂ5 mm wide and spread fan-like with the lateral sepals in front of the flower. The labellum is 6âÂÂ8 mm long, 5âÂÂ7 mm wide and white with pink to mauve edges. The sides of the labellum turn upwards and the tip has 8 to 14 yellow to orange teeth on each side and curls downward. There are two rows of red to orange calli along the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs from August to September.
This orchid was first formally described in 1939 by Herman Rupp who gave it the name Caladenia carnea var. gracillima and published the description in The Queensland Naturalist from a specimen collected at Yandina. In 2000, David Jones raised the variety to species status. The specific epithet (gracillima) is the form of the Latin word gracilis meaning "slender" or "thin", hence "most slender". Referring to C. carnea var. gracillima, Rupp noted "the segments are narrow and acuminate" and "the labellum is ...narrower than in other forms".
Pretty fingers grows in forest between Dayboro and Cooroy in south-east Queensland but there are also records from the southern tablelands of New South Wales.
Caladenia gracillima is listed as of "least concern" in Queensland.