Caladenia bartlettii is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It is a ground orchid with a single narrow, hairy leaf and a thin wiry stem usually bearing one short-lived mauve to pink flower.
Caladenia bartlettii is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb, sometimes solitary or in groups of up to ten individuals. It has an underground tuber and a single hairy, narrow linear leaf up to 10sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and dark purplish or reddish-green.
One, sometimes two flowers up to 20sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 in diameter are borne on a thin, sparsely hairy, wiry spike, 30sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high. The sepals and petals are a dark magenta colour shading to white in the lower parts. The dorsal sepal is erect and the lateral sepals are elliptic in shape with a rounded end and are slightly larger than the petals. The labellum has three lobes with red stripes, the mid-lobe triangular in shape, curled under and dark yellow with a wavy edge. There are two rows of bright yellow-tipped calli along the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs from October to December but the flowers are self-pollinating and only last for a few days.[1]
The species was first formally described in 1949 by Edwin Hatch as a variety of Caladenia carnea and the description was published in Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand.[2] The name was changed to Caladenia bartlettii in 1997.[3] The specific epithet (bartlettii) honours Francis (Frank) William Bartlett (1896-1979) of Silverdale, "whose knowledge of the gumlands flora has made his home the mecca of Auckland enthusiasts for many years".[4]
This caladenia grows in shady places in poor soil, always in forests dominated by kauri trees. It is found on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand.[5]
Caladenia bartlettii was classified in 2012 as "At Risk - Naturally Uncommon".