Thelymitra planicola, commonly called the glaucous sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to southern eastern Australia. It has a single erect, leathery, channelled, dark green leaf and up to twelve blue flowers with darker veins. The plant has a bluish green hue and the flowers are self-pollinating, only opening widely on hot days.
Thelymitra peniculata is a glaucous, tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, dark green, leathery, channelled, linear to lance-shaped leaf NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with a purplish base. Between two and twelve medium blue flowers with darker veins, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide are arranged on a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The sepals and petals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The column is white to pale blue, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is dark blackish brown with a brown band and a yellow tip, tubular and gently curved with a slightly notched tip. The side lobes are parallel to each other and have toothbrush-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs in October and November but the flowers are self-pollinating and only open fully on hot days.[1] [2] [3]
Thelymitra planicola was first formally described in 2000 by Jeff Jeanes from a specimen collected near Golden Beach and the description was published in Muelleria .[4] The specific epithet (planicola) is derived from the Latin word planus meaning "even", "flat" or "level" [5] and the suffix -cola meaning "dweller", referring to the plain-dwelling preference of this orchid.
The glaucous sun orchid grows in grassland and grassy forest in scattered populations in New South Wales and Victoria.