Flora of Victoria

Flowering stem erect, stout, straight, 20–50 cm tall, 2–6 mm diam., green or purplish. Leaf linear to linear-lanceolate, 18–30 cm long, 10–30 mm wide, flattish, fleshy, canaliculate, ribbed abaxially, sheathing at base, dark green with a purplish base. Inflorescence 5–25-flowered. Sterile bracts 1–3, large, leaf-like. Perianth segments ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 10–20 mm long, thick-textured, pink, bronze, green, blue or reddish, often with a coppery sheen. Column ovoid, 5–8 mm long, same colour as perianth but often paler; mid-lobe expanded into an incurved, semi-circular ridge, 2–3 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, purplish-brown, attenuated, rising over the anther and higher than the lateral lobes, the yellow tip finely toothed or incised; auxiliary lobes usually incurved and often interlocking, more or less flat, strap-like, apex irregularly toothed, yellow; lateral lobes converging, filiform, obliquely erect, hair-tufts in a long tooth-brush like arrangement, white. Anther inserted towards base of column, apex ending in a moderately long beak. Flowers Sep.–Nov.

DunT, GipP, Glep, Gold, GGr, OtP, VVP, WaP, Wim. Also SA. Grows mostly in coastal heathland, grassland and woodland, but extending further inland into similar habitats in the western part of its range. Substrates may be moist or dry sandy soils.

Flowers open freely on warm days and are insect-pollinated.

Source: Weber, J.Z.; Entwisle, T.J. (1994). Thelymitra. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons. Inkata Press, Melbourne.

Updated by: Jeff Jeanes, 2014-09-18

life Life

kingdom Plantae

phylum Tracheophyta

class Magnoliopsida

superorder Lilianae

order Asparagales

family Orchidaceae

genus Thelymitra

Higher taxa

species Thelymitra epipactoides F.Muell

Victoria

**Source:** AVH (2014). *Australia's Virtual Herbarium*, Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, <http://avh.chah.org.au>. Find Thelymitra epipactoides in AVH ; *Victorian Biodiversity Atlas*, © The State of Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries (published Dec. 2014) Find Thelymitra epipactoides in Victorian Biodiversity Atlas

Bioregion	Occurrence status	Establishment means
Wimmera	present	native
Glenelg Plain	present	native
Victorian Volcanic Plain	present	native
Gippsland Plain	present	native
Otway Plain	present	native
Warrnambool Plain	present	native
Goldfields	present	native
Greater Grampians	present	native
Dundas Tablelands	present	native

Bioregions of Victoria

State distribution

State
South Australia
New South Wales
Victoria

Thelymitra epipactoides F.Muell

Metallic Sun-orchid

Victoria

State distribution