Spotted Sun Orchid

~ Thelymitra ixioides ~

ORCHIDACEAE

These freckly sun goddesses only open fully on warm, sunny days – I like to imagine them curling out to embrace those golden rays. I’ve drawn them in their spotty blue glory; however, in the wild they can be quite the illusionary, varying significantly in spots and colour. The Thelymitra genus is made up of 90 species, all considered Sun Orchids, whose shape and colour mimic the flowers of Lily and Goodenia families in the quest to trick the same insect pollinators. They have been seen in the company of native bee friends Lasioglossum and Exoneura, and also have a symbiotic relationship with Mycorrhizal Fungi (see p. 3).

WHERE TO LOOK

Nestled in Australia’s temperate zones, they prefer heathlands and wet forests dominated by Eucalypts. They can be seen in the Darling Downs of Queensland, on the coast and tablelands of New South Wales, in the Australian Capital Territory, in most of Victoria, in the east corner of South Australia and in lutruwita (Tasmania).

Locations → NSW: Waterfall Way; Victoria: Wilsons Promontory National Park, Anglesea Heath, Jilpanger Nature Conservation Reserve and Creswick Regional Park; SA: Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park.

FEATURES

Up to eight flowers grow on stems 60cm tall. The flowers are predominantly blue to purple and speckled with dark-blue spots, but sometimes they are pink or white and lack spots entirely. When not in flower, the Spotted Sun Orchid looks like a single blade of channelled grass with a blueish-purple hue. This single leaf is about 20cm tall and 1cm wide.

FLOWERING SEASON

Late winter to spring → A perennial herb flowering from August to October, the plant becomes dormant in summer and dies back to an underground tuber.