Truncate sun orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Thelymitra
Species:
T. × truncata
Binomial name
Thelymitra × truncata
Synonyms[1]

Thelymitra × truncata, commonly called the truncate sun orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single tapering, more or less flat leaf with a reddish base and up to six blue, pink or white flowers with a tube-shaped lobe on top of the anther. It is a natural hybrid between a range of species, including T. pauciflora and T. ixioides.

Description

Thelymitra × truncata is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single more or less flat or channelled, tapering linear to lance-shaped leaf 80–300 mm (3–10 in) long and 2–8 mm (0.08–0.3 in) wide with a reddish base. Up to six or more pale to deep blue, pinkish or sometimes white flowers 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) wide are arranged on a flowering stem 70–550 mm (3–20 in) tall. There are one or two bracts along the flowering stem. The sepals and petals are 6–18 mm (0.2–0.7 in) long. The column is a similar colour to the petals and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The lobe on top of the anther is tube-shaped with a dark collar and a yellow tip. The side lobes have mop-like tufts of white hairs on their ends. Flowering occurs from October to December. The plants are variable, due to crossing between a range of species to produce this hybrid.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Thelymitra × truncata was first formally described in 1917 by Richard Sanders Rogers from a specimen collected near Myponga and the description was published in Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia.[4][5] The specific epithet (x truncata) is a Latin word meaning "to maim or shorten by cutting off",[6] referring to the shaped of the middle lobe on top of the column.[5]

Distribution and habitat

The truncate sun orchid is widespread but uncommon, growing in heath, woodland and open forest. It occurs in southern New South Wales, most of Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and in Tasmania.[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Thelymitra x truncata". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 257. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. 1 2 Jeanes, Jeff; Stajsic, Val. "Thelymitra x truncata". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Thelymitra x truncata". APNI. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  5. 1 2 Rogers, Richard S. (1917). "Additions to the orchidaceous plants of South Australia". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. 41: 343. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 708.
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