Granite 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. petrophila
Binomial name
Thelymitra petrophila
Jeanes[1]

Thelymitra petrophila, commonly known as the granite sun orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is endemic to Western Australia. It has a single erect, channelled, long light green leaf and up to ten or more pale blue to mauve or pink flowers. It grows in drier area, usually in shallow soil pockets on granite outcrops.

Description

Thelymitra petrophila is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, leathery, channelled, glaucous, light green linear to lance-shaped leaf 100–600 mm (4–20 in) long, 4–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) wide. Between two and ten or more pale blue to mauve or pink flowers 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) wide are arranged on a flowering stem 100–700 mm (4–30 in) tall. The sepals and petals are 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide. The column is white to pale blue or pale pink, 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is brown to reddish or yellow with an inflated tube shape and wavy edges. The side lobes have toothbrush-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs from August to November.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Thelymitra petrophila was first formally described in 2013 by Jeff Jeanes and the description was published in Muelleria from a specimen collected near Menzies.[6] The specific epithet (petrophila) is derived from the Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) meaning "rock" or "stone"[7]: 601  and φίλος (phílos) meaning "dear" or "beloved"[7]: 498  referring to the habitat preference of this species.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The granite sun orchid grows in shallow soil pockets on granite outcrops. It is found in the drier parts of Western Australia, including the Great Victoria Desert.[2][3][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Thelymitra petrophila". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. 1 2 3 Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 445. ISBN 9780980296457.
  3. 1 2 3 Jeanes, Jeffrey A. (2013). "An overview of the Thelymitra nuda (Orchidaceae) complex in Australia including the description of six new species" (PDF). Muelleria. 31: 10–13. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  4. ↑ Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 325. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. ↑ Archer, William (26 September 2013). "Thelymitra petrophila - granite sun orchid". Esperance Wildflowers. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Thelymitra petrophila". APNI. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  8. ↑ "Thelymitra petrophila". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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