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Pale sun orchid

Thelymitra pallidiflora

Pale sun orchid
Photo: Peter Crowcroft, CC BY 4.0

Pale sun orchid is a small tuberous terrestrial orchid native to Victoria, Australia, with a single leaf and up to ten white to pale blue flowers that open only on warm, sunny days. It is a species grown mainly by specialist native orchid enthusiasts rather than general gardeners.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Part shade
Water
Water moderately while in active growth in spring, then keep nearly dry while the tuber rests in summer.
Soil
Free-draining, gritty terrestrial orchid mix or native sandy loam.
Temperature
10–25 °C; protect from hard frost and extreme heat.
How easy
Hard
Native range
Victoria
Climate
subtropical

About

Thelymitra pallidiflora, commonly called pale sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to Victoria. It has a single erect, channelled, leaf and up to ten white to very pale blue, self-pollinating flowers which only open on hot days.

Where it grows

Pale sun orchid grows in woodland in the central south of Victoria, near Lysterfield, Anglesea and Crib Point.

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 pallidiflora 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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