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Peppertop sun orchid

Thelymitra brevifolia

Peppertop sun orchid
Photo: Matt M., CC BY 3.0 au

Peppertop sun orchid is a small terrestrial orchid from south-eastern Australia, grown from a tuber and bearing one leaf and up to twenty purplish flowers in spring. It is a wild native rather than a common garden plant, so care is mostly about leaving it in its natural habitat.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Part shade
Water
Keeps moist during its growing season, then drier while dormant in summer.
Soil
Sandy or loamy, well-drained soil with leaf litter, as in heath and open forest.
Temperature
Cool-temperate to mild; tolerates light frost, protect from prolonged heat above 35 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
SE. Australia
Climate
subtropical

About

Thelymitra brevifolia, commonly called peppertop sun orchid or short-leaf sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single erect, relatively short and broad, dark green leaf and up to twenty purplish or purplish blue flowers. It is a common and widespread self-pollinating species occurring in a wide range of habitats.

Where it grows

Peppertop sun orchid is widespread and locally common in the south-east of New South Wales, in Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, south-eastern South Australia and on the north and east coasts of Tasmania. It grows in a wide range of habitats from heath to forest and woodland, often growing in disturbed sites.

Other Thelymitra plants

Abrupt Sun Orchid · Wyong sun orchid · Gumland sun orchid · Bleak sun orchid · White sun orchid · Kath's sun orchid · Alpins striped sun orchid · Mountain sun orchid · Long-leaved sun orchid · Rabbit-eared sun orchid · Cleopatra's needles · Forest sun orchid

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Thelymitra brevifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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