Kangaloon Sun Orchid - a few flowers this spring.

With the unseasonably warm and dry weather, many local Orchids have flowered early.

I just remembered this fact yesterday, and rushed to Tourist Road to check for signs of Thelymitra kangaloonica. I found only one plant with open flowers, but it was indeed the endemic Kangaloon Sun Orchid.

Kangaloon Sun Orchid in situ
adjacent to the road edge.

I returned to the site today, to gain a clearer photo of a fresher flower (on the same plant), as the first photo I took yesterday was a slightly marked specimen.

Close-up of Thelymitra kangaloonica.
This plant is known in some documents as:
Thelymitra sp. Kangaloon (D.L.Jones 18108) Vic.

I have previously published about the listing of this species on the EPBC Act, as a threatened species. And in 2009 the local branch of ANOS got permission to enter the SCA Special Area, and we found lots of plants in flower, in that year.

But today I wish to record that they have flowered again, this year. Indeed they may well have flowered early (which would fit with the hot dry weather experienced so far this season) as I found a number of large Sun Orchid stems growing amongst the rushes in another wet area, about a kilometre from Butler's Swamp. This species is known to grow in this second location. These stems carried finished flowers, some apparently successfully pollinated. But as they were finished flowers I cannot vouch for their identity (species).

They're called Sun Orchids for a reason.

After finding the first buds (for this year) of the Thelymitra kangaloonica (Kangaloon Sun Orchid) last week, I have been back four times during the week to check on their progress.

Even though some days were what I would call "watery sunshine", it was not enough to persuade them to open.

Today was perfect. According to the local Rural Fire Service Automatic Weather monitoring station, we maxed out at 22.8 C today (in Robertson) - maybe a few extra degrees down lower, at Kangaloon. It is possibly more important that the Solar intensity was rated as extreme. Clear skies will do that.

Anyway, the plants I had been monitoring all popped their flowers today. One even managed to open 5 flowers on a single day.

Thelymitra kangaloonica growing amongst rushes, in a damp soak.

 The same plants a little closer up.

Thelymitra kangaloonica - the plant on the left opened 5 flowers today.

I have adopted this image as my Facebook Avatar.
I love this plant, and regard it as something of a personal Totem,

When this plant flowers, my heart sings.

It has a mauve back of the flower,

and some of that mauve colour shows on the front too,

but the front is clearly veined with dark blue stripes.

The top of the column (the post anther lobe") is distinctively notched.

The column arms and brushes are pure white.

A fresh flower of Thelymitra kangaloonica.

I guess I feel I have a proprietary interest in this plant

as I managed to nominate it on the EPBC Threatened Species List

and it was listed as a "Critically Endangered Species".

Thelymitra kangaloonica -  nice side view as well as the front view.

 A cropped view of the "column" of this  species.

The yellow "post anther lobe" is very different from the

photos of columns of Thelymitra ixioides I published last week

Column details of Thelymitra kangaloonica

Column arms and brushes of Thelymitra kangaloonica

Side view showing the "brushes" on the column arms.

Here are two generalised habitat views - for Mick 

who always likes to know the habitat where the plants which I show grow.

 The main plants are grasses and rushes.

Some small Melaleucas, Grevilleas and Swamp Grass Trees

A wet soak, part of an "Upland Swamp"on sandstone

In the drier edges of the soak, the Lomandras take over, then Scribbly Gums.