Great sun orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great sun orchid |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Thelymitra
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| Species: |
aristata
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The great sun orchid, also known as Thelymitra aristata, is a beautiful type of orchid. You can only find it in south-eastern Australia, which means it's endemic there. This plant has one big, thick leaf and small leaf-like parts called bracts. It can grow up to forty blue or purple flowers that have darker lines, almost like veins.
What it Looks Like
The great sun orchid is a plant that grows from a special underground storage part called a tuber. It's a perennial herb, meaning it lives for more than two years and its stems are not woody.
It has one thick, fleshy leaf that is shaped like a long, narrow spear. This leaf can be about 25 to 40 centimetres (10-16 inches) long and 2.5 to 4 centimetres (1-1.6 inches) wide.
The plant grows a tall flowering stem, usually 30 to 100 centimetres (12-39 inches) high. On this stem, you'll find between six and forty flowers. These flowers are pale blue, deep blue, or purple, and they have darker lines, like veins. Each flower is about 3 to 4 centimetres (1.2-1.6 inches) wide.
Along the flowering stem, there are also three to five larger bracts. These are like small, modified leaves. The sepals and petals of the flower are about 1.5 to 2 centimetres (0.6-0.8 inches) long.
Inside the flower, there's a special part called the column. This column is cream-coloured, white, or pale blue. It's about 6 to 7 millimetres (0.24-0.28 inches) long. The top part of the column, called the anther lobe, is purplish-brown with a yellow, finely-toothed tip. The side parts of the column have thick, mop-like tufts of white hairs.
These orchids have a lovely scent and are pollinated by insects. Their flowers usually open up on sunny days. You can see them flowering from September to January.
How it Got its Name
The great sun orchid was first officially described in 1840 by a person named John Lindley. He found a sample of the plant in Tasmania. He wrote about it in his book, The genera and species of Orchidaceous plants.
The second part of its scientific name, aristata, comes from a Latin word. It means "with ears" or "with bristles".
Where it Grows
The great sun orchid can be found in many different places, from the edges of swamps to open forests.
In New South Wales, it grows in areas along the coast and close to the coast, south of Fitzroy Falls. You can also find it in the southern half of Victoria, in south-eastern South Australia, and all over Tasmania. This includes King Island and Flinders Island.
