Thelymitra planicola Jeanes APNI* Description: Glabrous, somewhat glaucous, terrestrial herb.
Leaf linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–30 cm long and 5–20 mm wide, erect, leathery, canaliculate, dark green with a purplish base, ribbed abaxially, sheathing at base, apex acute.
Inflorescence 22–45 cm tall and 2–5 mm diameter, straight, purplish. Sterile bracts 2–4, linear to lanceolate, 2–8 cm long and 5–15 mm wide, lower bracts leaf-like and closely sheathing for most of their length, acute to acuminate. Fertile bracts ovate to obovate, 10–20 mm long and 4–8 mm wide, acuminate, sheathing. Pedicels 1–8 mm long, stout. Ovary cylindric to narrow-obovoid, 3–12 mm long, 1.5–4 mm wide. Flowers 2–12, (15-)20–25(-30) mm across, medium blue with darker blue longitudinal veins. Perianth segments(7-)10–13(-15) mm long and 4–8 mm wide, concave, often shortly apiculate; dorsal sepal ovate to obovate; lateral sepals ovate-lanceolate, slightly asymmetric; petals ovate to obovate; labellum oblanceolate to obovate, often narrower than other segments; column erect from the end of ovary, 5–6 mm long and 3–4 mm wide, white to pale blue; post-anther lobe 1.5–2 mm long and wide, hooding, semi-cylindric, gently curved, apex shallowly bilobed, lobes shallowly toothed, mostly dark blackish brown with a thin blue collar, apex yellow; auxiliary lobes absent; lateral lobes 1.2–2 mm long, linear, obliquely erect, curved, converging, each with a short, terminal, toothbrush-like arrangement of white hairs, the individual hairs 0.9–1.5 mm long, Anther ovoid, 2.7–4 mm long and 1.5–2.2 mm wide, basal part obscured behind stigma, with a short terminal beak about 0.5 mm long; pollinarium 1.5–2.2 mm long, viscidium circular 0.5 mm diameter; pollinia white, friable. Stigma quadrate, 2–2.5 mm long and wide, margins irregular.
Capsules obovoid, 10–16 mm long and 3.5–7 mm diameter, erect, ribbed.
Flowering: Late October to early November, oopening readily only in hot weather.
Distribution and occurrence: Recorded on the Central Coast of New South Wales, near Nowra and Warnervale, otherwise Victoria, between sea level and 80 m asl. Herb-rich grassland and grassy woodland and heathland on soils ranging from sandy loams to clay loams
NSW subdivisions: CC
Text by [AO edit Feb2021]
Taxon concept: Jeanes JA (2000) Two new species of Thelymitra (Orchidaceae) from southeastern Australia. Muelleria 14: 91-97.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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