[2] This terrestrial plant features a remarkable flower, resembling a duck in flight.

[3] Caleana major is the emblem of the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club.

[1][5][6][7] Caleana major was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown from a specimen he collected at Port Jackson, Bennelong Point in September 1803.

The description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.

[8][9] The genus name (Caleana) honours George Caley, an early botanical collector[10][11] and the specific epithet (major) is a Latin word meaning "large" or "great".