Thelymitra polychroma

Thelymitra polychroma, commonly called the rainbow sun orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is endemic to Tasmania. It has a single narrow, fleshy leaf and up to four blue and mauve flowers with darker veins. It grows in windswept heath and swampy areas and the flowers are self-pollinated.

Rainbow sun orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Thelymitra
Species:
T. polychroma
Binomial name
Thelymitra polychroma

Description

Thelymitra polychroma is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single fleshy, channelled, linear leaf 100–200 mm (4–8 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide. Up to four blue and mauve flowers with darker veins and a few small spots, 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) wide are arranged on a flowering stem 100–250 mm (4–10 in) tall. The sepals and petals are 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and about 5 mm (0.2 in) wide. The column is pink and purple with a shiny pink base and blue edges, about 5 mm (0.20 in) long and 2.5 mm (0.1 in) wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is brown with a yellow tip and wrinkled back. The side lobes have dense, mop-like tufts of cream-coloured hairs. Flowering occurs in November and December but the flowers are self-pollinated and only open on hot days. Flowering is more prolific after fire the previous summer.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Thelymitra polychroma was first formally described in 1998 by David Jones and Mark Alwin Clements and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[4] The specific epithet (polychroma) is derived from the Greek words polys meaning “many"[5]:65 and chroma meaning "colour",[5]:219 referring to the colours on the column.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The rainbow sun orchid grows in windswept coastal and near coastal heath in western Tasmania.[2][3]

References
  1. "Thelymitra polychroma". 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. 240. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Jones, David L. (1998). "Contributions to Tasmanian Orchidology". Australian Orchid Research. 3: 193–194.
  4. "Thelymitra polychroma". APNI. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
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