Caladenia lyallii

Botanical name: Caladenia lyallii
Synonyms: Stegostyla lyallii
Common name(s): Mountain caladenia

About:
A small terrestrial orchid with a single narrow leaf and one to two delicate white flowers marked with red bars and yellow calli. It is a variable species found from montane habitats to alpine tussocklands and wetlands.

Natural habitat:
Montane tussock grassland, alpine herbfields, subalpine scrub, wetlands, beech forest and open pine plantations.

Growing environment:
Cold tolerant, Frost tolerant, Moist soil tolerant & Free-draining soil tolerant.
Prefers open montane to alpine sites with seasonal moisture and low competition.

Endemic distribution:
Indigenous to New Zealand, occurring in the North Island, South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura.

Height:
5–20 cm tall

Width:
Single narrow leaf up to approximately 1 cm wide

Flowering:
November – December

Fruiting:
December – March

Uses:

• Specialist native orchid collections
• Alpine and montane plant displays
• Wetland margin restoration
• Native orchid conservation
• Botanical education plantings

Appearance:

Growth habit:
Small solitary terrestrial perennial orchid with a slender wiry flowering stem.

Leaves:
Single linear-lanceolate leaf, green to brownish or dark reddish-green, softly hairy and often broad for a small native orchid.

Flowers:
Usually one to two white flowers, occasionally more, with a hooded dorsal sepal and a white labellum barred with red. Yellow-topped calli extend along the labellum.

Fruit:
Small dry capsules containing fine orchid seed.

Ecology:
A deciduous terrestrial orchid adapted to open montane and alpine habitats. Its fine seed is wind dispersed, while the plant depends on suitable soil fungi for germination and establishment.

Associated habitats:
Often occurs in tussockland, alpine turf, wetland margins, subalpine scrub, beech forest openings and montane plantation edges.

How to grow:
Difficult to cultivate and should not be removed from the wild. Requires suitable orchid fungi, seasonal moisture and open low-competition conditions.

Propagation:
Difficult from seed and generally only suited to specialist orchid growers or conservation programmes.

Cultural use:
No specific traditional uses are widely recorded for this species, though it is valued as part of New Zealand’s distinctive native orchid flora.

Garden value:
A delicate native orchid valued for its elegant white flowers, red-marked labellum and montane character. Best appreciated in the wild or within specialist conservation collections.