Thelymitra rubra
salmon sun-orchid
Overview
Thelymitra rubra is a terrestrial orchid growing from an underground tuber, sending up a single slender stem 6-16 inches (15-40 cm) tall in spring. Each plant produces one narrow, channelled basal leaf 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) long, reddish at the base. The stem bears 2-8 flowers, each 0.6-1 inch (1.5-2.5 cm) across, with pink to salmon-red segments of similar size and shape, lacking the elaborate lip seen in many orchids, which gives the sun-orchids their regular, star-like form. The column at the centre carries a yellow-tipped structure with tufts of hairs. Flowers open only on warm, sunny days and close in cool or cloudy weather, so a plant may stay closed for days at a time. After flowering the above-ground parts die back and the plant survives as a dormant tuber through summer and autumn. It grows in heath, woodland, and grassland and depends on soil fungi for germination and growth.
Native Range
Thelymitra rubra is native to south-eastern Australia, occurring in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. It grows in heath, open woodland, and grassland on sandy and gravelly well-drained soils that are moist in winter and spring and dry over summer.Suggested Uses
Thelymitra rubra is grown by terrestrial-orchid enthusiasts in containers and in native ground beds that mimic its winter-wet, summer-dry cycle. It is used in conservation and habitat plantings within its native range. Its fungal dependence and summer dormancy make it unsuited to general garden borders.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6" - 1'4"
Width/Spread4" - 8"
Bloom Information
Flowers open in spring, mainly September to November, for a few weeks each season. Individual flowers open only on warm, sunny days above about 68F (20C) and stay closed in cool or overcast weather. A flowering stem may open over one to three weeks depending on the weather.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Thelymitra rubra grows in full sun to light shade in sandy or gravelly well-drained soil that is moist through winter and spring and dry in summer. It needs the natural cycle of winter wet and summer dormancy and depends on associated soil fungi, which makes it hard to grow away from its habitat. Plants are dormant as tubers from late spring through autumn and need no water in that period. Soil disturbance and loss of the fungal partner cause decline. It is grown by specialist terrestrial-orchid growers in deep pots of sandy mix. Slugs and snails graze the buds and open flowers.Pruning
No pruning is needed. The single leaf and flower stem die back naturally after flowering as the plant enters summer dormancy. Dead stems are removed once they have fully browned.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons