Thelymitra arenaria

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Epidendroideae > Dendrobieae > Thelymitra arenaria 

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:               Forest Sun Orchid  

Conservation status:   unknown

Etymology:   

• The specific epithet (arenaria) is a Latin word meaning "of sand" or "sandy"

Flowers:                  

• Between two and sixteen purplish flowers 16–26 mm wide are borne on a flowering stem 240–400 mm tall

• There are usually two bracts on the flowering stem

• The sepals and petals are 8–15 mm long and 4–8 mm wide

• The column is pale blue with dark blue streaks, 4.5–6 mm long and 2.5–3.5 mm wide

• The lobe on the top of the anther is dark brown with a yellow tip and gently curved

• The side lobes curve upwards and have dense, hairbrush-like tufts of white hairs

• The flowers are self-pollinating and only open on warm to hot, humid days

• Flowering occurs from October to December

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• A single leathery, channelled, dark green linear to lance-shaped leaf

• 150–300 mm long and 8–18 mm wide with a purplish base

Stem & branches:  

Roots:         

Habit:        

• It is a tuberous, perennial herb 

• It has a single long, narrow leaf 

Habitat:   

• It grows in a wide range of habitats from grassland to forest

Distribution:                  

• Endemic to south-eastern Australia

• Found in southern NSW, ACT, in the southern half of Victoria, in south-eastern South Australia and in Tasmania

• It is widespread and common within most of its range

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • It was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley from a specimen collected in Tasmania and the description was published in his book The genera and species of Orchidaceous plants

Sources of information:

• (2023)