Caladenia bartlettii
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Orchids
Flower colours
Red/Pink, Violet/Purple
Detailed description
Terrestrial orchid usually occurring as solitary plants sometimes as small colonies of up to 10. All parts finely but sparsely eglandular hairy. Leaf solitary up to 200 × 2 mm long, narrow-linear, dark purple-green to reddish-green. Stem erect, slender somewhat wiry, up to 300 mm tall, sparsely eglandular-glandular hairy. Floral bracts 1–(2). Flowers 1–(2) up to 20 mm diameter, in lax racemes, perianth dark glazed mauve to magenta often fading to pink or white near flower centre. Petals and lateral sepals spreading to somewhat deflexed, narrowly-elliptic, apices acute. Dorsal sepal erect. Labellum 3-lobed, marked with transverse dark pink to magenta bands, disc with 2 unequal lines of stalked callii, stalks dark pink to magenta, globular callus heads yellow, lateral lobes deeply cut; mid-lobe broadly triangular, recurved, margins irregular wavy, dark yellow, marginal callii absent. Column erect to slightly recurved, dark pink to magenta, often with 2–3 darker transverse, irregular bars, column wings distinctly broadening toward apex.
Similar taxa
Caladenia minor is very similar but the petals and sepals are broader and have rounded apices. It is not confined to kauri (Agathis australis (D.Don.) Lindl.) forest and is more widely distributed than C. bartlettii. Caladenia alata is somewhat similar but smaller (up to 120 mm tall) has dull (not glossy) white, pink, red or mauve flowers, perianths with acute rather than obtuse-rounded segment apices, and on either side of the mid-lobe a single orange callus is present. The mid-lobe is also orange-tipped and strongly recurved. C. alata is not confined to kauri forest and is most often found in gumland scrub.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (from Te Paki to about the northern Waikato and Kaimai Ranges. Exact southern limits as yet unclear; plants that may be have been reported from Nelson and Marlborough are possibly C. minor).
Habitat
Coastal to montane (0–500 m a.s.l.). In the strict sense virtually confined to kauri (Agathis australis (D.Don.) Lindl.) forest where it grows in leaf litter, often near the bases of kauri trees. Also found in gumland scrub (but always in association with kauri remnants). Evidently relishes infertile soils.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp, DPR, DPS, DPT
Threats
Caladenia bartlettii is apparently a rather sparsely distributed and naturally uncommon orchid. However, it is quite likely that the apparent rarity of this species is also in part due to its being overlooked for despite its colourful flowers it is not easily seen amongst the leaf litter in which it usually grows. A further issue is that there seems to be much confusion as to the correct application of the name with a number of unnamed segregates allied to C. bartlettii recognised by some New Zealand orchidologists.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Caladenia carnea var. bartlettii Hatch, Petalochilus bartlettii (Hatch) D.L.Jones et M.A.Clem.
Taxonomic notes
Jones et al. (2001) revived the genus Petalochilus R.S.Rogers (erected by Rogers (1924) for what has come to be viewed as a peloric state of Caladenia R.Br.—see Moore & Edgar (1970)) for a distinct clade of mostly New Zealand orchids that had usually been referred to as Caladenia. Subsequently Hopper et al. (2004) showed how the reorganisation of Caladenia by Jones et al. (2001) was unworkable and they recommended a return to Caladenia and the other allied Australian genera that had been recognised previously. Following discussion with S. Hopper and P. Weston (pers. comm., 2011, 2014) the treatment of Hopper et al. (2004) is preferred to that of Jones et al. (2001) and so followed here.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–December
Fruiting
November–February
Propagation technique
Difficult—should not be removed from the wild
Other information
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CALBAR
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, EF
2004 | Sparse
Regional conservation statuses
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally Data Deficient | Qualifiers: TL
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Hopper SD, Brown AP. 2004. Robert Brown’s Caladenia revisited, including a revision of its sister genera Cyanicula, Ericksonella and Pheladenia (Caladeniinae: Orchidaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 17(2): 171–240. https://doi.org/10.1071/SB03002.
Jones DL, Molloy BPJ, Clements MA. 1997. Three new species and a new combination in Caladenia R.Br. (Orchidaceae) from New Zealand. The Orchadian 12: 221–229.
Jones DL, Clements MA, Sharma IK, Mackenzie AM. 2001. A New Classification of Caladenia R.Br. (Orchidaceae). The Orchadian 13: 389–419.
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
Rogers, RS. 1924. Petalochilus: a New Genus of New Zealand Orchids. Journal of Botany 62: 65–67. (Reprinted in TRSNZ 1926.)
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (12 February 2007). Description based on Jones et al. (1997) - as Caladenia bartlettii.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Caladenia bartlettii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/caladenia-bartlettii/ (Date website was queried)