''Thelymitra frenchii'', commonly called the scarp sun orchid
or Jarrahdale sun orchid,
is a species of
orchid in the family
Orchidaceae and
endemic to a small area in the
south-west
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
of
Western Australia. It has a single long, fleshy leaf and up to three relatively small, blue flowers.
Description
''Thelymitra frenchii'' 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 channelled, fleshy, pale green, linear to lance-shaped leaf long and wide. Up to three blue flowers, wide are borne on a flowering stem tall. The
sepals 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 bluish to pinkish, about 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 long and about wide, mostly yellow with a narrow purplish band and a broad, shallow notch. The side lobes have toothbrush-like tufts of white hairs. The flowers remain open even in cool weather and until late in the day. Flowering has only been observed in October.
Taxonomy and naming
''Thelymitra frenchii'' was first formally described in 2004 by
Jeff Jeanes from a specimen collected near
Jarrahdale and the description was published in ''
Muelleria''.
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 ...
(''frenchii'') honours "Christopher (Chris) J. French" for his assistance to the author.
Distribution and habitat
The scarp sun orchid grows in soil pockets on granite outcrops in
jarrah
''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with roug ...
forest. It is only known from near Jarrahdale in the
Jarrah Forest biogeographic region
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
.
Conservation
''Thelymitra frenchii'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government
Department of Parks and Wildlife
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15469084
frenchii
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of Western Australia
Plants described in 2004