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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Orchidaceae
Thelymitra canaliculata

Citation: R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 314 (1810).

Synonymy: T. azurea R. Rogers, Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 41:342 (1917).

Common name: Azure sun-orchid.

Description:
A slender species, usually 10-50 cm high; leaf rather long, narrow-linear, often filiform.

Flowers a deep azure-blue, 1-12; perianth-segments veined, 8-9 mm long; column rather widely winged, with purple hair-tufts directed upwards and forwards; the hood between the hair-tuffs purple with a yellow margin and deeply 3-lobed, the post-anther lobe denticulate, shorter than and often overlapping the side lobules, the latter with smooth or denticulate upper borders; anther almost concealed behind the stigma, its point moderately long; pollinia 2, deeply 2-lobed, connected by a short caudicle to the rostellum; stigma large, ovate; rostellum prominent.

Published illustration: Gray (1971) Victorian native orchids 2:33 as T. azurea; Pocock (1972) Ground orchids of Australia, pl. 138; Hoffman & Brown (1984) Orchids of south-west Australia, p. 44.

Distribution:  Occurs singly or in small scattered groups on limestone or in calcareous sands in heathland, mallee-heathland or light scrub.

  W.Aust.; Vic.; Tas.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: Oct. — Nov.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: Putative hybrids have been reported with T. nuda (EP, YP).

Author: Not yet available


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