''Thelymitra orientalis'' is a rare species of
orchid in the family
Orchidaceae and is
endemic to southern continental
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It has a single thread-like, cylindrical leaf and a single deep blue, streaked flower. It is similar to ''
T. mucida'' but is distinguished from that species by its filiform leaf and smaller flower.
Description
''Thelymitra orientalis'' 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 thread-like, cylindrical leaf about long and wide with a red base. A single deep blue flower with 6 to 8 darker streaks, up to wide is borne on a flowering stem up to 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 a rich purple colour, long and about 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 black with a yellow tip divided into two parts with wavy edges. The side lobes have a few yellow hairs. Flowering occurs between late October and early-November and the flowers only open on hot days.
Taxonomy and naming
''Thelymitra orientalis'' was first formally described in 2010 by
Robert Bates from a specimen he collected in The Marshes Native Forest Reserve near
Millicent in 2003. 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 ...
(''orientalis'') is a
Latin word meaning "of the east",
referring to fact that this orchid is related to ''T. mucida'' which is mainly a
Western Australian species.
Distribution and habitat
This thelymitra grows in damp heath in high rainfall areas. It is found in western
Victoria and the far south-east of
South Australia.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21312029
orientalis
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of Victoria (state)
Plants described in 2010