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Scientific Name
Caladenia congesta
Family Name
ORCHIDACEAE
Common Name
Black Tongue Caladenia (orchid)
Status
Endangered
Height
0.15m - 0.25m (15-25cm)
Flowers
Bright deep pink or pale reddish-purple, 3cm diameter, narrow sepals and petals.
Fruit
Papery capsule
Form
Slender, slightly hairy plant with erect flowering stem; very narrow leaf, shorter than stem.
Municipalities
Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Devonport; Dorset; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Kentish; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; West Tamar
Communities
Sedgeland and Wetland; Wet Eucalypt Forest
Habitat Notes
Fairly rare in wet places in eucalypt woodlands and high rainfall areas in the north.
Site Tolerance
Dry; Moist; Moist; Shady; Waterlogged
Frost Tolerance
Tender
Soil Tolerance
Loam; Sandy; Well-drained
General Notes
Fire frequency moderate to high, flowers may last up to 10 weeks if not pollinated. Suitable below powerlines.
Propagation Details
Propagation Calendar
Flowering Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Collecting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sowing Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Cutting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Information
Seed Collection
Seed Treatment Method
Standard
Seed Storage Life
Viable Seeds Per Gram
Seed Treatment Notes
Orchid seeds are very minute yellow, brown or blackish dust-like particles. Orchid seeds are produced within a capsule that splits at maturity and releases tousands to millions of seeds. Dispersed by wind and water and only germinate following infection of the embryo by a suitable mycorrhizal fungus. Very few seeds become mature plants. For more information see Jones, Wapstra, Tonelli, Harris (1999): The Orchids of Tasmania.
Germination Time
Suitable for Direct Seeding
Cuttings
Expected Time to Take Root
Expected Time to Plant Out
Propagation by Division
N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.
Cutting Notes
Copyright 2000-2009, Understorey Network Incorporated. Updated 2024-12-12
Database development and website design by
Andrew Smith