Thelymitra matthewsii
A dainty and apparently rare species, known only from a very restricted area between Lake Tangonge and the west coast. The small size and the curious spiral twist of the leaf distinguish it from its congeners. It was named in honour of the late Mr. R. H. Matthews, to whose painstaking investigation we owe so much of our increased knowledge of the orchids of the far north.

From "Floral evolution and phylogeny in the tribe Thelymitreae (Orchidaceae: Neottioideae)"
by Pamela Burns-Balogh and Peter Bernhardt (Plant Systematics & Evolution 1988; 159 [1-2]: 19-47)
adapted in the NZNOG Journal # 61
For nearly 95 years work on Thelymitra emphasised self-pollination. All species studied proved to be capable of self-pollination, which usually occurs towards the end of the flower’s life. At least eight species have been regarded as obligate self-pollinators. But the emphasis on self-pollination changed a few years ago when fieldworkers observed in four different species, black, fast flying bees clasping the column and then flying off with the pollinia attached to the abdomen. David Jones thought this was another example of pseudocopulation, the bee mistaking the ciliated column-arms for its female; Bob Bates thought the column resembled another bee, and the bee grappling it was trying to drive off an intruder from its territory.
We now know the bees are female Lasioglossum and Leioproctus. They are foragers which feed their larvae by collecting pollen that they dislodge by vibrating their thoraxes. In Australia the blue flowers of four Thelymitra species mimic lilies, and the bees mistake the ciliated column-arms or column appendages for the lilies’ pollen (i.e. the lily is a "model" for the floral mimicry of the Thelymitra).
Even so, most Thelymitra species will still prove to be capable of self-pollination. One reason is that bees do learn to distinguish between lily and Thelymitra after a few unsuccessful attempts at harvesting pollen; so self-pollination remains a greater source of seedset than cross-pollination.
Self-pollination should be regarded as a commonly-employed "fail-safe" mechanism for many Thelymitras - though there are species that are obligate self-pollinators too.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Location
Thelymitra aemula													New Zealand
Thelymitra aff brevifolia													New Zealand
Thelymitra cyanea													New Zealand
Thelymitra carnea													New Zealand
Thelymitra x dentata													New Zealand
Thelymitra formosa													New Zealand
Thelymitra hatchii													New Zealand
Thelymitra intermedia													New Zealand
Thelymitra aff ixioides													New Zealand
Thelymitra longifolia													New Zealand
Thelymitra aff longifolia agg													New Zealand
Thelymitra malvina													New Zealand
Thelymitra matthewsii													New Zealand
Thelymitra nervosa													New Zealand
Thelymitra aff pauciflora													New Zealand
Thelymitra pulchella													New Zealand
Thelymitra sanscilia													New Zealand
Thelymitra tholiformis													New Zealand
Thelymitra "Ahipara"													New Zealand
Thelymitra "Comet"													New Zealand
Thelymitra "Darkie"													New Zealand
Thelymitra "Rough leaf"													New Zealand
Thelymitra "Sky"													New Zealand
Thelymitra "Whakapapa"													New Zealand
Thelymitra fragrans													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra ixioides													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra longiloba													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra malvina													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra media													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra nuda													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra pauciflora													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra purpurata													Brisbane, Australia
Thelymitra venosa													Brisbane, Australia

Detailed data: Aggregated observation dates from the GBIF.org network.
A colored month means an observation in habitat or collection date of a herbarium specimen with flower or inflorescence. The number refers to the year of last observation or collection.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Location
Thelymitra aemula											1957		New Zealand
Thelymitra antennifera								1933		1934			Australia
Thelymitra benthamiana										1982			Australia
Thelymitra carnea										1951			Australia
Thelymitra cyanea												1952	New Zealand
Thelymitra fusco-lutea											1928		Australia
Thelymitra ixioides								1950	1953		1928	1960	Australia
Thelymitra longifolia									1979				New Caledonia
Thelymitra longifolia								1979					New Guinea
Thelymitra longifolia											1957		New Zealand
Thelymitra nuda										1951			Australia
Thelymitra pauciflora								1950					Australia
Thelymitra pauciflora											1957		New Zealand
Thelymitra venosa											1950		Australia
Thelymitra venosa var. cedricsmithii	1945												New Zealand

World Checklist for Thelymitra. With the permission of the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Published on the Internet
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