''Thelymitra formosa'', commonly called the sun orchid, is a species of orchid in the family Orchidaceae that is endemic to New Zealand. It has a single channelled, dark to reddish green leaf and up to fifteen blue flowers. The lobe on 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 ...

has yellowish red edges and the arms on the sides of 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. ...

have tufts of yellow or orange hairs.

Description

''Thelymitra formosa'' is a tuberous, perennial

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 dark or reddish green, linear to lance-shaped leaf long and wide. Between ten and fifteen light to dark blue flowers without spots or stripes, wide are borne on a flowering stem sometimes up to tall. The arms on the sides of the column are flattened with tufts of orange or yellow hairs. The lobe on top of the anther is short with yellowish red edges and has finger-like calli. Flowering occurs from November to January.

Taxonomy and naming

''Thelymitra formosa'' was first formally described in 1884 by

William Colenso William Colenso (17 November 1811 – 10 February 1899) FRS was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician. He attended the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and later wrote an accou ...

from a plant collected between Norsewood and

Dannevirke Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; mi, Taniwaka, lit= or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is), is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New ...

, and the description was published in '' Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute''. 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 ...

(''formosa'') is Latin word meaning "beautifully formed", "comely" or "handsome".

Distribution and habitat

This thelymitra grows in wetlands, scrub and open forest. It is found on the North,

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15468445

formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

Endemic orchids of New Zealand Orchids of New Zealand Plants described in 1884