Plants of
South Australia
Thelymitra cyanapicata
Orchidaceae
Blue-top Sun-orchid
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Prior names

Thelymitra cyanapicta (orth.), partly

Etymology

Thelymitra from Greek 'thelys' meaning a bishop and 'mitra' meaning a headwear, hat, hence a bishop’s mitre, referring to the sometimes plumed or decorated wings of the column, which is usually produced behind and over the anther in a hood-like projection. Cyanapicata from the Latin 'cyan' meaning blue and 'apica' meaning apex, referring to the dark purplish blue apex column (post anther lobe) of the flower.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and is only known from a few localities in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges, growing in Eucalyptus viminalis open swampy woodland with a dense understorey of sedges and ferns, in wet sandy soils. Native. Very rare in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
NRM region: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect terrestrial orchid with linear leaf to 22 cm long and 6 mm wide, erect, fleshy, green with a purplish base. Flowering stem wiry, purplish to 20 cm tall with 1-3 small, blue tardily opening flowers. Lateral lobes short, bend upward sharply at about the middle, each with a dense subglobose cluster of short white hairs. Flowering between October and November. This species is distinguishable by its dark purplish blue post-anther lobe. Fruits are brown papery ellipsoid capsule, ribbed. Seeds are very small dark brown ellipsoid seed with an ovoid translucent brown mesh-like covering

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and January. Collect fat capsules as they start to dry and turn brown. Pods will split and release the seeds quickly and will require monitoring. To increase the chances of collecting mature pods, it is recommended that a small breathable bag (ie. Organza bags) be used to enclose the developing capsules. Place the capsules in a container that will hold fine seeds and leave to dry for a few weeks or until the capsule split. Then carefully hold the capsule and tap it gently to release the seeds. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place or in liquid nitrogen. Symbiotic in-vitro propagation for this species is being undertaken by Dr Noushka Reiter at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and the SA Seed Conservation Centre at Adelaide Botanic Gardens with the help of Kildare College science teacher Paul Beltrame and a small group of dedicated students. The dedicated propagation work being undertaken for this species is sponsored by ForestrySA.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
18-Dec-2007J. Quarmby
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-2016N/C-80°C
BGA 
MSB
500,000
500,000
1026-Nov-2007RJB75900
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-2016N/C-80°C
BGA255,000 (0.1633 g)1326-Nov-2015DJD3297
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-201675%-80°C
18-Dec-2007J. Quarmby
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-2016N/C-80°C
BGA1,024,000 (0.66 g)2214-Dec-2016DJD3297
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-2017N/C-18°C, -80°C
BGA79,000 (0.062 g)1226-Nov-2015DJD3297
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-2017N/C-80°C
BGA166,700 (0.13 g)75-Dec-2017T. Bridle
Southern Lofty
30-Jun-2018N/C-18°C
BGA118,600 (0.092 g)1129-Nov-2018Kuitpo NFR
Southern Lofty
24-Apr-2019N/C-18°C
BGA43,600 (0.034 g)230-Dec-2018T.Bridle
Southern Lofty
24-Apr-2019N/C-18°C
BGA20,400 (0.016 g)330-Dec-2018T.Bridle
Southern Lofty
24-Apr-2019N/C-18°C
BGA65,000 (0.051 g)410-Dec-2019T.Bridle
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020N/C-18°C
BGA423,000 (0.33 g)324-Dec-2019Knott Hills, Kuitpo Forest
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020N/C-18°C, -80°C
BGA19,700 (0.007 g)212-Dec-2019Leo Davis
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020 -18°C
BGA11,000 (0.009 g)125-Nov-2019T.Bridle
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020N/C-18°C
BGA168,000 (0.130 g)710-Nov-2020Kuitpo Forest
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-2021N/C-18°C
BGA170,500 (0.133 g)630-Nov-2021Onkeeta Swamp Wild
Southern Lofty
10-Aug-2022N/C-18°C, -80°C
BGA1,135,000 (0.885 g)1217-Nov-2021Knott Hill NFR, Kuitpo Forest
Southern Lofty
10-Aug-2022N/C-18°C, -80°C
BGA8,820,000 (6.878 g)30+14-Nov-2022DJD3295 Nursery
Southern Lofty
21-Jun-2023N/C-18°C, -80°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.