Thelymitra villosa
| Thelymitra villosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Subtribe: | Thelymitrinae |
| Genus: | Thelymitra |
| Species: | T. villosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Thelymitra villosa Lind. | |
Thelymitra villosa, commonly called the custard orchid is a species of orchid which is endemic to Western Australia. It is a tuberous, perennial herb, 0.4 - 0.6 metres tall with yellow and brown flowers from September to November.[1]
Description
The leaf of T. villosa is 60–100 mm long and 20–50 mm wide and covered with white, silky hairs on both surfaces. The flowerstem is 300–600 mm long with 5–20 flowers. Each flower is 30–40 mm across and yellow with varying amounts of red-brown markings. The flowers which are similar to those of the Leopard Orchid, Thelymitra benthamiana and the Sun Orchid Thelymitra sargentii but T. villosa is distinguished from them by its leaf, which is shorter, broader and hairy.[2][3]
Taxonomy
The species was first described by John Lindley in 1840 in his A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony (1840).[4]
He also informally described it as "A very fine species with large, stellate, yellow flowers."[5] The specific epithet (villosa) is derived from Latin, villosa, "hairy".[6] (An alternative common name is Hairy Thelymitra.)[4]
Distribution and habitat
The species is endemic to the south western corner of Western Australia, occurring in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions. It grows in sandy clay, grey, white or yellow sand which is wet in winter.[7]
References
- ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna. "Florabase: The Western Australia Flora - Thelymitra villosa". https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 16 January 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "The Orchids of Western Australia - Thelymitra villosa". http://orchidswa.com.au. Retrieved 16 January 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 248–249. ISBN 1877069124.
- 1 2 "Thelymitra villosa R. Br.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- ↑ Lindley, John. "The genera and species of orchidaceous plants". London : Ridgways, 1830-1840. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ↑ "Wiktionary".
- ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 92. ISBN 0646402439.
External links
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Media related to Thelymitra villosa at Wikimedia Commons -
Data related to Thelymitra villosa at Wikispecies