Thelymitra spadicea

Browntop sun orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Subtribe: Thelymitrinae
Genus: Thelymitra
Species: T. spadicea
Binomial name
Thelymitra spadicea

Thelymitra spadicea, commonly called the browntop sun orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is endemic to Tasmania. It has a single erect, fleshy leaf and up to four relatively small blue flowers with small darker spots and an elongated lobe on top of the anther.

Description

Thelymitra spadicea is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, fleshy, channelled, linear leaf 100–220 mm (4–9 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide with a reddish base. Up to four blue flowers with small darker spots, 16–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) wide are arranged on a flowering stem 100–250 mm (4–10 in) tall. The sepals and petals are 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide. The column is bluish white, about 4 mm (0.2 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is brown with a blue band, a yellow elongated tip and small teeth. The side lobes have dense, mop-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs in November and December.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Thelymitra spadicea was first formally described in 1999 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Stanley and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[4] The specific epithet (spadicea) is a Latin word meaning “of a light brown colour",[5] referring to the colour of the anther lobe.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The browntop sun orchid grows in coastal and near coastal heath in northern and western Tasmania.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Thelymitra spadicea". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 242. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (1998). "Contributions to Tasmanian Orchidology". Australian Orchid Research. 3: 196–197.
  4. ↑ "Thelymitra spadicea". APNI. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Perry, William (1805). The Synonymous, Etymological, and Pronouncing English Dictionary. London.
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