Plant: Stem 10-15 cm tall with maroon hairs, leaf to 15 cm.

Flowers: 5-10 cm across. Petals and sepals with maroon hairs, quite broad and rounded at the tip, dark pink or carmine shading to white at the base. Labellum white or pink, red-barred internally with two rows of bright yellow topped calli to the midlobe base. The yellow tipped midlobe may have up to 3–4 short yellow topped calli each side and a scalloped margin near the tip.

Flowering: October to November.

Habitat: scrub and open forest in dappled shade, on road and track sides. North Cape to Nelson.

Conservation: often locally abundant; not threatened.

Notes: the smallest New Zealand Caladenia. It has been confused with and identified as C. bartlettii by field botanists for the last many years. Varies from very pale to strong mauve pink and in number of lateral calli. Some forms remain to be sorted out.

Key features: small size and broad, round tipped and often obviously hairy petals and sepals, ranging from strong pink to dark red, fading towards the base.