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Thelymitra's are a terrestrial orchid genus
found in Australia, (50 odd species) New Zealand, (about a dozen species) New
Caledonia, (2) and the odd one in Timor, Java, and The Philippines.
The Thelymitra's on the following pages, all come from the south west of
Western Australia, specifically, the area around Albany, which is known for
it's unusual flora. Thelymitra's are known as 'Sun Orchids' because of their
tendency to only open on sunny days, closing at night and during cold and
cloudy weather.
Unlike most orchids, the lip, or what passes for a lip, is usually the same
shape as the petals. There are, however, a few species in which the lip tends
to be modified slightly, and appears to be shaped like a 'normal' orchid lip.
One of the most outstanding features of Thelymitra's, is the huge colour range,
which can include white, yellow, pink, red, orange, blue, purple and all sorts
of combinations of the above, which can produce orchids that are quite
stunning, as Ron Heberle's photographs will show. The blue Thelymitra's can be
quite unbelievable when one comes across them in the bush, as true blue orchids
are so rare in nature. The number of flowers carried on Thelymitra's, varies
between one and 20 to 25, sometimes more.
Flower size is between 1 - 6cm.
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