Southern curly locks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southern curly locks |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Thelymitra
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| Species: |
uliginosa
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The Thelymitra uliginosa, often called southern curly locks or swamp curly locks, is a special type of orchid. It belongs to the Orchidaceae family. This orchid is found only in the southwest part of Western Australia. It has one tall leaf that often twists around its stem. The flower is usually small and can be pink, purple, blue, or a mix of these colors. It often has darker lines or spots. The flower also has two narrow, yellow parts on its central column.
What it Looks Like
The Southern Curly Locks orchid is a plant that grows from a special underground storage part called a tuber. This helps it live for many years. It has a dark green leaf that starts wide at the bottom and then becomes long and thin. This top part of the leaf is usually 30–80 mm (1–3 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide. It often twists or curls around the stem, which is how it got its name!
This orchid usually has only one flower. The flower can be pink, purple, blue, or a mix of these colors. It often has darker lines or spots, and it's about 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) wide. The flower grows on a stem that is 100–200 mm (4–8 in) tall. The parts that look like petals, called sepals and petals, are 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long.
The central part of the flower, called the column, is about 3 mm (0.1 in) long. It has two thin yellow parts on its sides. These flowers are special because they can pollinate themselves. They only open on very hot days and do not last long. You can see them flowering in August and September. They grow even more after a bushfire.
How it Got its Name
The Thelymitra uliginosa orchid was officially named in 2009. A scientist named Jeff Jeanes described it after finding a sample in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park. The second part of its name, uliginosa, comes from a Latin word. It means "full of moisture," "wet," or "marshy." This name was chosen because this orchid loves to grow in wet, swampy places.
Where it Lives
The Southern Curly Locks orchid grows in areas with shrubs, especially in and around places that get very wet in winter, like swamps. It is mostly found between Northcliffe and Mount Manypeaks in Western Australia. However, there are also some groups of these orchids living separately near Perth and Esperance. These areas are part of the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, and Warren regions.
Conservation Status
The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at the Thelymitra uliginosa orchid. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means that, for now, there are enough of these orchids, and they are not in danger of disappearing.
