''Thelymitra hygrophila'', commonly known as the blue star sun orchid,
is a species of
orchid in the family
Orchidaceae and is
endemic to a small area of
South Australia. It has a single erect, fleshy, channelled leaf and up to five pale blue to
cornflower blue flowers which open on warm, humid days. Much of its formal habitat has been cleared and the species is now critically endangered.
Description
''Thelymitra hygrophila'' 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, fleshy, channelled, linear to lance-shaped leaf long and wide. Up to five pale blue to cornflower 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 pale blue, long and wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is sharply curved and dark brown to black with a yellow, deeply notched tip. The side lobes curve forwards and have dense tufts of white hairs on their ends. The flowers open on warm, humid days in October.
Taxonomy and naming
''Thelymitra hygrophila'' was first formally described in 2010 by
Robert Bates from a specimen he collected near
Springton in 2004. The description was published in the ''
Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden''.
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 ...
(''hygrophila'') is said to be derived from the
Ancient Greek ''hygros'' meaning "water" and ''phelos'' meaning "love",
referring to the habitat preference of this species.
In Ancient Greek, the proper word for "water" is however ''hydōr'' (ὕδωρ), while ''hygros'' (ὑγρός) means "wet", "moist" or "fluid".
[Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.] ''Phēlos'' (φῆλος) actually means "deceitful" in Ancient Greek, while "love" (in the sense of affection or fondness) is ''philia'' (φιλία) or ''philos'' (φῖλος).
Distribution and habitat
The blue star sun orchid grows in rich soils near
river red gum and temporary ponds with rushes and
sedges in the Murray and Southern Lofty botanical regions.
Conservation
The range of ''T. hygrophila'' has been considerably reduced by land clearing. In 2010 the species was recorded in three locations but it has not been seen since. It is listed as "vulnerable" in South Australia and as "critically endangered" under the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The main threats to the species are land clearing and drying of the pools and other moist areas where it grows, due to changed drainage patterns.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21312041
hygrophila
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of South Australia
Plants described in 2010