How to Grow and Care for Sun orchid

Slender sun orchid (Thelymitra pauciflora) is a self-pollinating plant that is basically the opposite of a vampire as it's known to only open shyly unless it is bathed in very strong sunlight when it then fully opens and thrives. It is very common in both New Zealand and Australia.

It has a single grass-like leaf and up to five white flowers Thelymitra longifolia is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single ribbed, linear to lance-shaped leaf 5 to 25 cm long and 1.02 to 5 cm wide. The three sepals and three petals (including the labellum) are alike except that the dorsal sepal in slightly wider. The column is white or brown near its base but dark brown to black near its tip. The lobe on the top of the anther is usually rounded and yellow and the side lobes have dense, tangled white hairs.

Thelymitra ixioides is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single channelled or corrugated, dark green thread-like to lance-shaped leaf 20 to 25 cm long and 1.02 to 1.5 cm wide with a purplish base. Between two and ten usually blue to purple flowers with small darker blue spots, 2.5 to 5 cm wide are borne on a flowering stem 25 to 51 cm tall. The sepals and petals are 1.5 to 2 cm long and 1.02 to 1.3 cm wide.

Thelymitra cyanea is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, fleshy, channelled, linear leaf 15 to 25 cm long and 5 to 8 mm wide. Up to five bright blue flowers with darker veins, 2 to 2.5 cm wide are borne on a flowering stem 20 to 51 cm tall. The sepals and petals are 1.3 to 1.5 cm long and 8 to 10 mm wide but the lavellum (the lowest petal) is larger than the other petals and sepals. The column is white to pale blue, 4 to 6 mm long and about 3 mm wide. The side arms of the column are yellow, with a twisted or toothed tip.

Thelymitra nervosa is an orchid known for slender stems and grass-like leaves, adorned with a single, prominent flower. Its petals often display a unique, nervy structure that has inspired its name. Thriving in well-drained soils, thelymitra nervosa exhibits a striking adaptation to its environment, flowering in synchrony with seasonal sunlight variations and pollinator availability. This ecological finesse underlines thelymitra nervosa's specialized niche in diverse habitats.