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Thelymitra colensoi
Colenso's sun orchid is a small tuberous orchid endemic to New Zealand, with one fleshy leaf and up to seven pale blue to pink flowers. It is best grown in cool, moist, well-drained conditions and is rarely cultivated.
Thelymitra colensoi, commonly called Colenso's sun orchid, is a species of orchid in the family Orchidaceae that is endemic to New Zealand. It has a single fleshy, channelled leaf and up to seven pale blue or mauve to pink flowers. It is similar to T. pauciflora but is smaller and less robust than that species.
Colenso's sun orchid grows in shrubland, forest and in pine plantations. It frequently grows with the larger flowered, more robust T. pauciflora and sometimes grows in gardens to which pine bark has been added. It is found on the North, South, Stewart, and Three Kings Islands.
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 colensoi 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.
