Thelymitra aristata, commonly called great sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single large, thick leaf and bracts and up to forty crowded blue or purplish flowers with darker veins.
Description Thelymitra aristata is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single thick, fleshy, channelled, linear to lance-shaped leaf long and wide. Between six and forty pale blue, deep blue or purple flowers with darker veins wide are crowded on a flowering stem tall. There are between three and five large bracts along the flowering stem. The sepals and petals are long and wide. The column is cream-coloured to white or pale blue, long and wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is purplish brown with a finely-toothed yellow tip. The side lobes have dense, mop-like tufts of white hairs. The flowers are scented, insect-pollinated and open on sunny days. Flowering occurs from September to January.
Taxonomy and naming Thelymitra aristata was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley from a specimen collected in Tasmania and the description was published in his book The genera and species of Orchidaceous plants. The specific epithet (aristata) is a Latin word meaning "with ears".
Distribution and habitat Great sun orchid grows in a wide range of habitats from swamp margins to open forest. It is found in New South Wales in coastal and near-coastal areas south of Fitzroy Falls, in the southern half of Victoria, in south-eastern South Australia and in Tasmania including King and Flinders Islands.
In popular culture In 2025 a display of great sun orchids, curated by the West Australian botanist Kingsley Dixon, was awarded a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.Vallence, Syan (23 May 2025). Aussie orchid turns heads at London's prestigious Chelsea Flower Show ABC News. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
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