''Thelymitra graminea'', commonly called the shy sun orchid, is a species of orchid in the family Orchidaceae and is endemic to 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 leathery, channelled leaf and up to ten relatively small blue,

self-pollinating Self-pollination is a form of pollination in which pollen from the same plant arrives at the stigma of a flower (in flowering plants) or at the ovule (in gymnosperms). There are two types of self-pollination: in autogamy, pollen is transferred to ...

flowers with white, toothbrush-like tufts 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 ...

Description

''Thelymitra graminea'' 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 erect, leathery, channelled leaf long and wide with a purplish base. Between two and ten dark blue to purplish, often strongly scented 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 white to pale blue or pinkish, long and wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is brownish with a yellow tip or all yellow. The side lobes curve towards each other and have toothbrush-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs in September and October but the flowers are self-pollinating and only open on warm to sunny days. The species is similar to ''

Thelymitra macrophylla ''Thelymitra macrophylla'', commonly called the large-leafed sun orchid or scented sun orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae, and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. ...

'' which occurs in similar areas but has narrower leaves, smaller flowers and flowers later than that species.

Taxonomy and naming

''Thelymitra graminea'' was first formally described in 1840 by

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

from a specimen collected by James Drummond and the description was published in ''

A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony "A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony", also known by its standard botanical abbreviation ''Sketch Veg. Swan R.'', is an 1839 article by John Lindley on the flora of the Swan River Colony. Nearly 300 new species were published in it, ...

''. 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 ...

(''graminea'') is a Latin word meaning "grassy" or "of grass".

Distribution and habitat

The shy sun orchid is locally common in its range, growing in shrubland, woodland and forest or on granite outcrops. It occurs between Jurien Bay and Esperance.

Conservation

''Thelymitra graminea'' 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=Q15469478 graminea Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of Western Australia Plants described in 1840