Blue lady orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue lady orchid |
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| Thelymitra crinita near Hardy Inlet | |
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Thelymitra
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| Species: |
crinita
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The Blue Lady Orchid, also known as the queen orchid or lily orchid, is a beautiful and bright blue flower. It's a special type of orchid that only grows in the south-west part of Western Australia. This amazing plant has one wide, oval-shaped leaf. Its flowers are a brilliant blue, and they have a blue column (a central part of the flower). The top part of the column has short, finger-like growths called calli.
Contents
What Does the Blue Lady Orchid Look Like?
The Thelymitra crinita is a plant that grows from a tuber (a swollen underground stem, like a potato). It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It has a single dark green leaf that is shaped like a spear. This leaf is about 2 to 6 inches (50-150 mm) long and 0.4 to 1.8 inches (10-45 mm) wide.
The plant produces a flowering stem that can grow from 8 to 30 inches (200-750 mm) tall. On this stem, you can find between two and fifteen flowers. Each flower is about 1.2 to 1.8 inches (30-45 mm) wide. While they are usually a brilliant blue, their color can range from pale to very dark blue.
The sepals (outer leaf-like parts) and petals (inner colorful parts) of the flower are about 0.6 to 0.9 inches (15-22 mm) long. They are also about 0.2 to 0.4 inches (6-10 mm) wide. The column (the central part of the flower) is blue with a yellow top. It is about 0.16 to 0.2 inches (4-5 mm) long. The top part of the column, called the anther lobe, is short and covered with many short, yellow, finger-like growths.
These orchids usually bloom from September to November. Their flowers open up on sunny days and are pollinated by insects. The Blue Lady Orchid looks a bit like another orchid called T. cornicina. However, the Blue Lady Orchid has a much wider leaf.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The Blue Lady Orchid was first officially described in 1839 by a scientist named John Lindley. He published his description in a book called A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.
The scientific name for this orchid is Thelymitra crinita. The second part of its name, crinita, comes from a Latin word. It means "hairy." This refers to the small, finger-like growths on top of the column, which look a bit like hair.
Where Does the Blue Lady Orchid Live?
The Blue Lady Orchid grows in forests near the coast and sometimes in swampy areas. You can find it in Western Australia, stretching from Gingin all the way to Esperance.
It grows in several different natural areas, including the Esperance Plains and the Jarrah Forest. It prefers to grow in grey-white sand and loamy clay soils.
Is the Blue Lady Orchid Safe?
Good news! The Blue Lady Orchid is quite common in the areas where it grows. The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has officially said that this orchid is "not threatened." This means it's not currently in danger of disappearing.
Images for kids
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Flowering at Jarrahdale, Western Australia
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leaf
See also
In Spanish: Blue Lady Orchid para niños
