Caladenia moschata
musky caps
Overview
Caladenia moschata is a deciduous terrestrial orchid that grows from an underground tuber, producing a single flowering stem 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) tall in spring. A solitary narrow hairy leaf 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) long emerges from the base. The stem carries one to three pink flowers, each 1-1.6 inches (2.5-4 cm) across, with spreading sepals and petals and a hinged, fringed labellum marked with deeper pink to red bars. The flowers carry a musky scent, the basis of the common name. Flowering occurs in spring. After flowering the plant dies back to its tuber and stays dormant through the dry summer. As a tuberous ground orchid dependent on a specific soil fungus and pollinating insects, it rarely survives transplanting and is seldom grown in gardens.
Native Range
Native to southwestern Western Australia. Grows in open eucalypt woodland, shrubland, and granite-outcrop margins on sandy and gravelly soils with a wet winter and a dry summer.Suggested Uses
Grown only in specialist native-orchid collections and in undisturbed bushland and reserves. It has no role in standard garden beds because of its fungal dependence and summer dormancy. The plant features in habitat conservation rather than ornamental planting.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'
Width/Spread2" - 4"
Reaches mature size in approximately 4 years
Bloom Information
Flowers in spring, mainly September to October in its native range. Each plant flowers for 2-3 weeks. Flowering is more reliable in the season after summer fire or soil disturbance, which can stimulate dormant tubers. Warm, dry springs shorten the display.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight