Thelymitra lucida

Thelymitra lucida, commonly called the glistening sun orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is endemic to south eastern Australia. It has a single erect, fleshy leaf and up to seven dark blue flowers with the sepals a lighter blue than the petals.

Glistening sun orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Thelymitra
Species:
T. lucida
Binomial name
Thelymitra lucida
Jeanes[1]

Description

Thelymitra lucida is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, dark green, fleshy, channelled, linear to lance-shaped leaf 200–350 mm (8–10 in) long and 5–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) wide with a purplish base. Up to seven dark blue flowers 16–24 mm (0.6–0.9 in) wide are arranged on a flowering stem 300–550 mm (10–20 in) tall. The sepals and petals are 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long and 4–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide with the petals a lighter blue. The column is blue or pinkish, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.14 in) wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is dark purplish black with a yellow tip and covered with a glistening secretion. It is also inflated, gently curved and deeply notched. The side lobes have toothbrush-like tufts of white, cream or yellow hairs. Flowering occurs in November and December but the flowers are self-pollinated and only open on hot days.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Thelymitra lucida was first formally described in 2004 by Jeff Jeanes. The description was published in Muelleria from a specimen collected near Durdidwarrah.[5] The specific epithet (lucida) is a Latin word meaning "full of light", "clear" or "bright",[6] referring to the glistening lobe on top of the column.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The glistening sun orchid usually grows in or near swamps in the Grampians and Brisbane Ranges National Park of Victoria and south of Hobart in Tasmania.[2][3][4]

References
  1. "Thelymitra lucida". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 238. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Jeanes, Jeffrey A. (2004). "A revision of the Thelymitra pauciflora R.Br. (Orchidaceae) complex in Australia" (PDF). Muelleria. 19: 71–73. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  4. Jeanes, Jeff; Stajsic, Val. "Thelymitra lucida". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  5. "Thelymitra lucida". APNI. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 480.
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