Thelymitra silena, commonly called the madonna sun orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is endemic to Tasmania. It has a single thick, fleshy, channelled leaf and up to fifteen pale blue flowers with an almost spherical yellow lobe on top of the anther.

Madonna 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. silena
Binomial name
Thelymitra silena

Description

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Thelymitra silena is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single thick, fleshy, channelled, linear to lance-shaped leaf 120–200 mm (5–8 in) long and 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) wide with a purplish base. Between five and fifteen pale blue flowers 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) wide are arranged on a flowering stem 300–550 mm (10–20 in) tall. The sepals and petals are 14–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long and 8–14 mm (0.3–0.6 in) wide. The column is white to cream-coloured, 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long and about 5 mm (0.2 in) wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is light brown and gently curved with a yellow, almost spherical tip but with a deep notch. The side lobes are curved with sparse toothbrush-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs in October and November.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

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Thelymitra silena was first formally described in 1999 by David Jones from a specimen collected on Clarke Island and the description was published in The Orchadian.[4] The specific epithet (silena) is derived from the Latin word meaning "a bearded, bald, woodland deity, similar to but older than a satyr",[5] referring to the column of this orchid.[6]

Distribution and habitat

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The madonna sun orchid usually grows in grassy forest and is found near the north and east coasts of Tasmania and on Clarke Island.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ "Thelymitra silena". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. ^ a b c Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 229. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. ^ a b Jeanes, Jeffrey A. (2011). "Resolution of the Thelymitra aristata (Orchidaceae) complex of south-eastern Australia" (PDF). Muelleria. 29 (2): 117–119. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Thelymitra silena". APNI. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  5. ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 740.
  6. ^ "Thelymitra silena". APNI. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
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