The sides of the labellum have erect, linear up to 5 mm (0.2 in) long and there are four rows of dark red, densely crowded calli along the mid-line.

[2][3][4] Caladenia radiata was first described in 1948 by William Nicholls from a specimen collected near Yarloop and the description was published in The Victorian Naturalist.

[1][5] The specific epithet (radiata) is derived from the Latin word radius meaning "ray", "rod" or "spoke",[6] referring to the spreading teeth on the sides of the labellum.

[3] The ray spider orchid is found between the Yarloop and Albany in the Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions where it grows in swampy areas, often flowering in standing water.

[2][3][4][7] Caladenia radiata is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.