Website of Tobias Westmeier - Nature - Orchids of Australia

Range of Thelymitra benthamiana — Range of *Thelymitra benthamiana*.

Leopard Orchid
Thelymitra benthamiana Rchb.f. 1871

Synonyms

Thelymitra fuscolutea R.Br. 1810 var. fuscolutea

Notes

The Leopard Orchid is found across southern Australia, including south-western WA, south-eastern SA, southern VIC and north-eastern TAS where it is only known from a small area on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. It flowers from mid spring until early summer and can be found in a variety of habitats, most commonly forests, woodlands and heath. The Leopard Orchid often occurs in areas of excess moisture such as winter-wet flats, the edges of seasonal swamps and creeks or run-off areas associated with granite outcrops. While rare and local in south-eastern Australia, the Leopard Orchid is very common in south-western WA where large colonies are often encountered in forests and woodlands.

In general, the Leopard Orchid is easily recognised by its pale-yellow flowers with large brown blotches. Size and density of the brown blotches are generally highly variable, and some flowers can be almost uniformly yellow, while others are almost entirely brown. In WA there are several superficially similar species of Sun Orchid, in particular the Chestnut Sun Orchid (Thelymitra fuscolutea) and the Custard Orchid (Thelymitra villosa). They are most easily distinguished by their characteristic and unique column.