Thelymitra carnea
R.Br. Pink Sun-orchidFlowering stem erect, straight to gently flexuose at leaf or bract insertions, 8–40 cm long, c. 1.5 mm diam., green to reddish. Leaf narrow-linear, 4–18 cm long, 1–5 mm wide, almost terete, channelled, conduplicate or inrolled, green, often reddish basally. Inflorescence (1–)2(–5)-flowered. Sterile bracts usually 2. Perianth segments ovate, 4.5–7 mm long, pale to deep pink, rarely yellowish on inner face and reddish outside; sepals slightly larger and firmer than petals. Column cylindric-ovoid, 3–4 mm long, pinkish; mid-lobe c. 1 mm long, yellow and sometimes warted at apex; lateral lobes suberect, rising above mid-lobe, ovoid-oblong, longer than wide, 0.5–1 mm long, 0.4–0.8 mm wide, fleshy yellow, flat inside, rounded outside, slightly crenulate on margins and sometimes on outer surface, nearly parallel or incurved and almost meeting in front. Anther vertical, apex yellow, cream or greenish and slightly papillose, protruding below lateral lobes of column. Flowers mainly Oct., less commonly in Nov. and rarely in Dec.
MuM, Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, Strz, MonT. Also SA, Qld, NSW, ACT, Tas. Widespread and relatively common, solitary or in small colonies, occurring in a variety of habitats, from margins of swampy heaths to open-forests of drier areas, and from near sea-level to hilly country up to 700 m altitude.
Flowers open on sunny, humid days, sometimes self–pollinating.
Similar to Thelymitra rubra, but the flowers are generally smaller and the lateral lobes of the column are a different shape.
Believed to form hybrids with T. ixioides (called T. ×irregularis).
Weber, J.Z.; Entwisle, T.J. (1994). Thelymitra. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 840–854. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
