''Thelymitra spadicea'', commonly called the browntop sun orchid,
is a species of
orchid that is
endemic to
Tasmania. It has a single erect, fleshy leaf and up to four relatively small blue flowers with small darker spots and an elongated lobe on 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 spadicea'' 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 leaf long and wide with a reddish base. Up to four blue flowers with small darker spots, wide are arranged 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 white, about long and wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is brown with a blue band, a yellow elongated tip and small teeth. The side lobes have dense, mop-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs in November and December.
Taxonomy and naming
''Thelymitra spadicea'' was first formally described in 1999 by
David Jones from a specimen collected near
Stanley and the description was published in ''Australian Orchid Research''.
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 ...
(''spadicea'') is a
Latin word meaning “of a light brown colour",
referring to the colour of the anther lobe.
Distribution and habitat
The browntop sun orchid grows in coastal and near coastal heath in northern and western Tasmania.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15467884
spadicea
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of Tasmania
Plants described in 1998