Twisted Sun-Orchid
Thelymitra flexuosa
Family Orchidaceae
About
Thelymitra flexuosa, known as twisted sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to southern Australia. It has a single thin, wiry leaf and up to four cream-coloured to canary yellow flowers with four rows of short hairs on the back of the column. It is a common and widespread species, superficially similar to T. antennifera.
How to spot it
Thelymitra flexuosa is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single wiry, linear leaf 60–150 mm (2–6 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. Up to four cream-coloured to canary yellow 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide borne on a flowering stem 200–350 mm (8–10 in) tall. The sepals and petals are 5.5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. The labellum (the lowest petal) is shorter and narrower than the other petals and sepals. The column is white to cream-coloured, 4.5–5 mm (0.18–0.20 in) long
Documented on these trails
Found in
- Flinders Chase National Park — Flinders Ranges & Outback SA hikes