Thelymitra
(from thelys, a woman, and mitra, a cap; alluding to the hood-shaped column). Woman's-cap Orchid. Including Macdonaldia. ORD. Orchideae. A genus comprising about twenty species of greenhouse, terrestrial Orchids, with ovoid tubers; one is broadly dispersed through Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and the Malayan Archipelago, three or four are indigenous to New Zealand, and the rest are all Australian. Flowers blue, purple, red, or yellow, occasionally white, usually several in a terminal raceme; sepals, petals, and lip, all nearly equal and spreading; column rather short, erect, broadly winged; pollen masses granular; bracts shorter than the flowers. Leaves linear, lanceolate, or rarely ovate, sometimes rather thick, but not terete. Stems simple, one-leaved. A selection of the introduced species is given below. All of them are Australian. For culture, see Bletia. T. carnea (fleshy). fl. pink, one to three; sepals and petals oval-elliptic, oblong, or obtuse, usually about four lines long. May. l. narrow-linear. Stem slender, often flexuous, less than 6in. to nearly 12in. high. 1820. T. Forsteri (Forster's). A synonym of T. longifolia. T. graminea (grass-like). A synonym of T. longifolia. T. ixioides (Ixia-like). fl. blue, pedicellate, usually forming a raceme 4in. to 6in. long; sepals, petals, and lip, elliptic-oblong, nine to ten lines long. May. l. long-linear or linear-lanceolate, flat or channelled, with one or two shorter ones. Stem usually above 1ft. high. 1810. (S. E. B. 29.) T. longifolia (long-leaved). fl. blue, lilac, or pink, rather large, several in a raceme; column wing produced behind and over the anther into a broad hood, usually conspicuous from its dark colour. May. l. long, narrow. h. variable. usually about 1ft. 1824. SYNS. T. Forsteri, T. graminea, T. pauciflora.
T. pauciflora (few-flowered). A synonym of T. longifolia. T. variegata (variegated). fl. purple, two to four, large; sepals and petals lanceolate, shortly acuminate or acute, 3/4in. to 1in. long, variegated. May and June. l. with a villous sheath, the blade usually glabrous, linear, much dilated at base and often undulated. Stem not very stout, 1ft. high or rather more. SYNS. Macdonaldia spiralis, M. variegata.
T. venosa (veined). fl. blue, six to ten; sepals and petals 1/2in. to 3/4in. long; column broadly winged. April. l. long, narrow. Stem 1ft. to 2ft. high. 1826. SYN. Macdonaldia venosa.