The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Thelymitra carnea

Etymology

Thelymitra: woman's hat
carnea: From the Latin carnus 'flesh', meaning flesh-coloured

Common Name(s)

pink sun orchid, early sun orchid

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Thelymitra carnea Cheeseman

Family

Orchidaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

THECAR

Structural Class

Orchids

Synonyms

Thelymitra carnea var. imberbis (Hook.f.) Rupp et Hatch, Thelymitra imberbis Hook.f.

Distribution

Indigenous. North and South Islands. Mainly in the northern North Island south to about Taupo. Local around the southern North Island. Apparnetly absent in between. In the South Island confined to the northern and mainly westen third.

Habitat

Coastal to montane (up to 700 m a.s.l.). Mostly at low altitudes and favouring open clay pans, consolidated sand hollows, and geothermal ground. Sometimes on the margins of peat bogs. Most often in gumland scrub or other semi-permanent shrubland habitats where it is especially abundant after fire.

Features

Terrestrial, tuberous, glabrous, late winter to early summer-green perennial herb, either solitary or in well-spaced groups. Plants mostly reddish-green, at flower 100-300 mm tall. Leaf solitary, wiry, distinctly flexuose, fleshy to subcoriaceous, 80.0-160.0 x 2.5-3.0 mm, dark green to reddish green, terete or semi-terete and shallowly channelled, apex often twisted, subacute, often frayed. Inflorescence a 1-8-flowered raceme. Flowers widely spaced, 8-14 mm diameter, segments to 8 x 4 mm, mostly pink, rarely cream or pale lemon yellow with the sepals darker coloured than the petals, without spots or stripes, scarcely opening or not, if opening only slightly spreading. Sepals and petals alike, broadly oblong. Labellum very slightly smaller. Column to 4 mm long, cream to pale pink or dark pink; column arms obliquely erect, more or less ovate, thick, fleshy, margins crenate or toothed, rarely with a few small spheroidal glands, otherwise without further ornamentation or cilia; post anther lobe almost as high as anther, erect, margins fleshy, unevenly thickened to very slightly cucullate, weakly notched, bright yellow. Anther not prominent.

Similar Taxa

Not likely to be confused with anyother indigenous species. This species is readily identified by the reddish colour of the stem and leaf, and the slender, zig-zagged (flexuose) terete to semi-terete leaf (usually with a twisted and distinctly frayed apex). The widely spaced mostly pink flowers which scarcely open, are also distinctive. While the small pink grading to yellow, scarcely hooded and notched column, and flattened, toothed column arms lacking cilia are also unusual in New Zealand Thelymitra.

Flowering

August - October

Flower Colours

Cream,Red / Pink

Fruiting

September - January

Propagation Technique

Difficult - should not not be removed from the wild.

Threats

Not Threatened. However, it has declined from large parts of its range through habitat loss to taller forest or through urban development. Still abundant in the far north but if trends continue it may qualify in the not too distant future for some level of threat.

Chromosome No.

2n = 62

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 9 Oct 2016