''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 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 thick, broad, leathery leaf and up to twenty five relatively large dark blue to purplish flowers with white, toothbrush-like tufts. Thelymitra macrophylla map

Description

''Thelymitra macrophylla'' is a tuberous

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial with a single thick, leathery, strap-like leaf long and wide. Between two and twenty-five dark blue to purplish 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 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, wide and dark brown with a yellow tip. The side lobes have toothbrush-like tufts of white hairs. The flowers are strongly scented, insect pollinated and open in sunny weather. Flowering occurs from August to October.

Taxonomy and naming

''Thelymitra macrophylla'' 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 ...

(''macrophylla'') is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''makros'' meaning "long" and ''phyllon'' meaning "leaf".

Distribution and habitat

The large-leafed sun orchid is widespread and common between Perth and Albany, growing 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 and

wandoo Wandoo is the common name for a number of Western Australian ''Eucalyptus'' species, all of which have smooth white bark. The original "wandoo" is ''Eucalyptus wandoo''. Additional species have been given this name because of a perceived likeness w ...

woodland.

Conservation

''Thelymitra macrophylla'' 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 ...

. Image:Thelymitra macrophylla large.jpg, flower spike near

Lake King Lake King is a town in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, from Perth along State Route 40 between Kelmscott and Ravensthorpe. As of 2016, the town had a population of 95. The 2011 census recorded both the population of the tow ...

Image:Thelymitra macrophylla spike.jpg, flower spike near Madfish Bay in

William Bay National Park William Bay National Park is a national park in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, southeast of Perth and between the towns of Denmark and Walpole. Description Situated approximately west of Denmark, William Bay National Park ...

Image:Thelymitra macrophylla side view.jpg, side view of flower Image:Thelymitra macrophylla leaf (2).jpg, leaf

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q6615713 macrophylla Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of Western Australia Plants described in 1840