Bleak sun orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bleak sun orchid |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Thelymitra
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| Species: |
aggericola
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The bleak sun orchid (scientific name: Thelymitra aggericola) is a special type of orchid. It only grows in Tasmania, which means it's endemic there. This orchid has one long, curved leaf. Its flowers are usually white or light blue, and they have a green back. You can often see seven or more flowers on one plant!
What Does the Bleak Sun Orchid Look Like?
The bleak sun orchid is a plant that grows from a tuber (a kind of underground stem). It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It has a single leaf that is curved and shaped like a narrow spear. This leaf can be about 7 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) long. It is also about 4 to 10 millimeters (0.16 to 0.39 inches) wide. Sometimes, the leaf is even longer than the stem that holds the flowers!
The plant can have up to seven or more flowers. These flowers are white to light blue. They are quite wide, measuring about 2.4 to 4.8 centimeters (0.94 to 1.9 inches) across. The flowers grow on a stem that is about 5 to 14 centimeters (2 to 5.5 inches) tall.
Each flower has parts called sepals and petals. These are about 8 to 13 millimeters (0.31 to 0.51 inches) long. They are green on their back side. Inside the flower, there's a special part called the column. It's white and about 5 to 6 millimeters (0.20 to 0.24 inches) long.
The top part of the anther (which holds pollen) is pale yellow to light brown. It has a sharp curve and looks like an inflated hood. The sides of this part have thick, mop-like tufts of white hairs. These orchids usually bloom in October and November.
How Did the Bleak Sun Orchid Get Its Name?
The bleak sun orchid was first officially described in 1999. A botanist named David Jones gave it its scientific name, Thelymitra aggericola. He found a sample of the plant near Temma, south of Arthur River in Tasmania.
The second part of its scientific name, aggericola, comes from two Latin words. Agger means "heap" or "mound." And -cola means "dweller." So, aggericola means "mound dweller." This name makes sense because of where the plant likes to grow!
Where Does the Bleak Sun Orchid Live?
The bleak sun orchid usually grows in cracks in rocks. It also likes shallow pockets of soil. You can find it close to the coast in the north-west and south-east parts of Tasmania.
These orchids open their flowers freely on warm or hot days. They produce many seed capsules. This suggests that the flowers can pollinate themselves. This means they don't always need insects to help them make seeds.
