Thelymitra hatchii

Detailed description

Terrestrial, tuberous, glabrous, spring to summer-green perennial herb, forming dense colonies of 4–20 plants arising through vegetative extension. Plants dark reddish-green, stiffly erect, at flower up to 600 mm tall. Leaf solitary, erect, very fleshy to almost fleshy-coriaceous, deeply channelled and prominently ribbed longitudinally, 100–300 × 7–15 mm, dark reddish-green to reddish brown, broadly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, strongly v-shaped in cross section, distinctly keeled, base closely sheathing. Inflorescence a (3)–6–(8)-flowered raceme borne on a dark reddish-green to reddish brown stout, wiry stem. Bracts 1–2–(3), foliaceous, closely-sheathing, fleshy, of similar colour to stem and leaf. Flower 15–20 mm diameter, usually pale to deep mauve sometimes pink, without stripes or spots. Sepals, petals and labellum fairly similar; sepals acutely elliptic, petals elliptic. Column robust, up to 8 mm tall, erect, sometimes with a small basal triangular process, initially white soon grading to dark mauve, then dark reddish brown near apex; post anther lobe tall, overtopping anther at least at sides, erect, truncate, more or less coarsely laciniate or denticulate but not thickened, inrolled or cucullate, sometimes obliquely forming a deep cleft at back, often terminating in two sharply acute points, usually dark red toward apex, margin more or less yellow; column arms terete to plano-convex in cross section; cilia copious, prominent, usually yellow to pale yellow, more rarely white or pink, arising from sides, back and top of arm, standing erect and overtopping post-anther lobe.