''Thelymitra batesii'', commonly called the plump sun orchid, is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It has a single fleshy, channelled, dark green leaf and up to eight mauve to bluish purple flowers that are pinkish with darker stripes on the back. The unopened flower buds are distinctly plump.

Description

''Thelymitra batesii'' is a

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

ous,

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with a single erect, fleshy, channelled, dark green, linear to lance-shaped leaf long, wide with a purplish base. Between two and eight mauve to bluish purple flowers wide are arranged on a flowering stem tall. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are long and wide. The

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

is pink or purplish, long and wide. The lobe on the top of the

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

is dark purplish with a yellow tip, curved sharply forwards and deeply lobed. The side lobes have dense, mop-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs from September to December.

Taxonomy and naming

''Thelymitra batesii'' was first formally described in 2004 by Jeff Jeanes and the description was published in '' Muelleria'' from a specimen collected in the

Spring Gully Conservation Park Spring Gully Conservation Park, formerly the Spring Gully National Park), is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia in the localities of Sevenhills and Spring Gully about south of the town centre in Clare. Th ...

. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''batesii'') honours

Robert John Bates Robert J. "Rob" Bates (born 1946) is an Australian botanist, plant collector, and illustrator. Biography Bates grew up in Mylor, South Australia, and has been living in Fairview Park, Adelaide for more than 40 years. Professionally, Bates ...

in recognition of his knowledge of Australian orchids.

Distribution and habitat

The plump sun orchid is widespread and locally common in the Northern Lofty and Southern Lofty

biogeographic regions A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions. De ...

where it grows in heathy woodland and forest.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15467058 batesii Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of South Australia Plants described in 2004