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  4. Thelymitra pulchella

Thelymitra pulchella

White Hills.<br>Photographer: Eric Scanlen, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Karikari Peninsula.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 29/10/2008, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Tararua Forest Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 23/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Tararua Forest Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 23/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Tararua Forest Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 23/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Tararua Forest Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 23/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Kaitoke Regional Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 22/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Kaitoke Regional Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 22/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Kaitoke Regional Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 22/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Tararua Forest Park.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 23/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Puketotara Block, Kerikeri.<br>Photographer: Lisa Forester, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0'>CC BY-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Puketotara Block, Kerikeri.<br>Photographer: Lisa Forester, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0'>CC BY-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Thelymitra pulchella at Lake Ohia.<br>Photographer: Bill Campbell, Date taken: 23/10/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Thelymitra pulchella.<br>Photographer: Kevin Matthews, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Thelymitra pulchella.<br>Photographer: Kevin Matthews, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Pinehaven, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 16/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Pinehaven, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 16/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Pinehaven, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 16/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Column showing ciliate column arms and tuberculate post-anther lobe. Pinehaven, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 16/12/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Southern Tararua Range.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 14/12/2008, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common name

striped sun orchid, beautiful sun orchid

Synonyms

Thelymitra concinna Col., Thelymitra fimbriata Col., Thelymitra pachyphylla Cheeseman, Thelymitra caesia Petrie

Family

Orchidaceae

Authority

Thelymitra pulchella Hook.f.

Flora category

Vascular – Native

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Structural class

Orchids

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

THEPUL

Chromosome number

2n = 66

Current conservation status

  • Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley.

2012 | Not Threatened

Previous conservation statuses

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Distribution

Endemic. North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.

Habitat

Widespread from coastal to montane areas (up to 800 m a.s.l.). Preferring open shrubland, clay plans and gumland vegetation, often in wetlands. Sometimes under mature kauri (Agathis australis (D.Don.) Lindl.) or along ridge lines in mature forest.

Features

Terrestrial, tuberous, glabrous, spring to summer-green perennial herb; found as solitary plants or growing in colonies of 4-many plants arising through vegetative extension. Plants at flower up to 800 mm tall. Stem robust, fleshy, erect, 2.5-4.8 mm diameter, yellow green to dark green (sometimes almost glaucous green). Leaf firmly fleshy to subcoriaceous, rather thick, erect to suberect, 80-240 x 6-20 mm, yellow-green, dark green to reddish green, channelled, deeply keeled and v-shaped in cross section. Bracts, 2-4, foliaceous, closely sheathing, broadly to narrowly lanceolate, of similar colour to stems and leaves. Inflorescence a (1-)6-14-flowered raceme. Flower 10-18 mm diameter, segments usually blue or pink, rarely white, petals usually prominently striped with dark blue, sepals less markedly so; sometimes segments pink or blue without stripes. Sepals and petals similar, broadly ovate, lateral sepals slight narrower than the rest. Labellum slightly obovate. Column erect 6-8 mm tall, dark blue, pink, mauve, or white; post-anther lobe variable, mostly shorter than or equal to anther height, rarely taller; margins variable, usually thickened, sometimes slightly to prominently incurved, or irregularly denticulate and often tuberculate; usually dark orange, red-brown or red in the upper portion with the distal margins usually yellow; column-arms usually higher than anther, flat, red-brown to red, variably ornamented within a single raceme or population; most commonly with the margins thinly membranous, basally coloured red, toothed or lobed (anteriorly, posteriorly or both), the upper teeth grading into branched fimbriae, these extending to the top of the arm, or plain without ornamentation, or plain grading into teeth, or plain grading into fimbriae; teeth and fimbriae red, orange, yellow or in gradations between these.

Similar taxa

The prominently keeled, erect to suberect, rather thick and fleshy leaves are distinctive, while the usually striped flowers and rather variable, though usually reddish column arms of varying ornamentation are diagnostic of this species. It is most likely to be confused with T. cyanea (Lindl.) Benth. which differs by the absence of a post-anther lobe, and by its consistently ribbon-like, more or less spirally twisted, yellow column arms. It could also be confused with T. xdentata L.B.Moore a sterile hybrid which differs by the less brightly-coloured, inconspicuous column-arm teeth that extend down the from margin of the column-arm wing; and yellow cilia held in globose masses.

Flowering

October - January

Flower colours

Blue, Red/Pink

Fruiting

December - April

Propagation technique

Very easily grown in a sunny, well drained site. Often naturalises in gardens within urban areas abutting indigenous vegetation in northern New Zealand. Although easily cultivated, like all orchids it should not be removed from the wild.

Etymology

thelymitra: Woman’s hat

pulchella: Pretty little thing

Where To Buy

Not commercially available.

Notes on taxonomy

An extremely variable plant that evolved through hybridisation with Thelymitra cyanea and T. longifolia J.R.Forst. et G.Forst. Both parents account for the wide variation in flower colour, column and column-arm shape, colour and ornamentation.

Attribution

Description adapted from Moore and Edgar (1970).

References and further reading

Moore, L.B.; Edgar, E. 1970: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. II. Government Printer, Wellington.

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