Thelymitra spadicea

Thelymitra spadicea, commonly called the browntop sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to Tasmania. It has a single erect, fleshy leaf and up to four relatively small blue flowers with small darker spots and an elongated lobe on top of the anther.

Description
Thelymitra spadicea is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, fleshy, channelled, linear leaf 100-220 mm long and 4-8 mm wide with a reddish base. Up to four blue flowers with small darker spots, 16-22 mm wide are arranged on a flowering stem 100-250 mm tall. The sepals and petals are 7-11 mm long and 5-6 mm wide. The column is bluish white, about 4 mm long and 2 mm wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is brown with a blue band, a yellow elongated tip and small teeth. The side lobes have dense, mop-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs in November and December.

Taxonomy and naming
Thelymitra spadicea was first formally described in 1999 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Stanley and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research. The specific epithet (spadicea) is a Latin word meaning “of a light brown colour", referring to the colour of the anther lobe.

Distribution and habitat
The browntop sun orchid grows in coastal and near coastal heath in northern and western Tasmania.