Hi Lellie, i suggest that you just look at pics. This is a very common orchid in bush-land around Sydney, NSW, Australia. If i see one i just look.

There are growers who specialize in these native terrestrials but i'm certainly not recommending attempts at cultivation.

Then there is the little problem of the gals and guys at the gates both here and there. Various certificates, cost and a lot of bother.

If you want to try an Australian Terrestrial Orchid start with one that is perhaps the easiest Pterostylis curta. Maybe you can obtain tubers of that species in the USA.

Here is a Nursery Address.
Nesbitts Orchids, PO Box 72, Walkerville, SA 5081
Phone: 08 8261 1550 Fax: 08 8266 0372
Email: lesnesbitt@iprimus.com.au
Postal export orders only.
Catalogue available. Dormant tubers available Nov.-Feb.
Genera: Australian deciduous terrestrial orchids.

More info. in the link.

{{gwi:193959}}

http://asgap.org.au/APOL19/sep00-1.htmlhttp://asgap.org.au/APOL19/sep00-1.html

Here is a link that might be useful: nesbitts

Oh my...isn't that stunning???
May I save your pic?

So...would it be like our wild orchids here in Florida that we are prohibited from gathering?

Thanks for the help...and the address! :)

Of course you can save the pic. Jessica won't mind.
Sorry to be such a killjoy. The nursery in the link are selling tubers from their collection, not wild collected. But you would still have to pay (i imagine) something for the paperwork to get the tubers past the guys and gals at the gates.
In a general orchid society with 80 members we have only have one member who grows these types of orchids. General orchid society meaning that we try and grow everything.
There are specialist orchid societies where the members only grow Australian Native orchids and their Hybrids so the detailed knowledge needed is available. If Corymbosa reads this, he may be able to add to it. Re. difficulty of growing.

Hi Lellie,

I'll add a little bit to Arthur's excellent advice from the point of view of an orchid grower with a focus on Australian natives. While Thelymitra is not a particularly easy genus of Australian terrestrials to grow in the first plce, within the context of the genus itself, Thelymitra ixioides is one of the more temperamental species and it can be difficult to maintain in the long term. It's certainly not the hardest Thely to grow but even very experienced growers have problems with it. In addition to the tendancy of the Thelymitra tubers to rot in warm and wet conditions, ixioides only produces a single replacement tuber each year so it's much more difficult to recover from losing a few plants after a bad year.

As for Pterostylis curta, I believe a lot of people in the US have bought plants from Andy's Orchids - I've never seen Andy's list it on their website so you may have to contact them to see if they have any in stock. I'd strongly recommend growing this species for few years before you consider trying any Thelymitra.

Sorry if I'm sounding somewhat discouraging but this is a species with very different requirements than the epiphytes and semi-terrestrials most people grow so it's not really an orchid you can plonk next to a Catt and expect it to thrive.

Andrew

Gottcha guys...
Guess I'll just sit & gaze at the photo...or maybe I should re-locate to Australia...LOL

Thanks again... :)

Hi
Have you checked the Pacific Bulb Societyy website??
Probably a 100 times more info than you'll want to know lol
Check out "orchidaceae" if interested in "blue " orchids. Besides Thelmitra there are also writeups on Caladenia and Cyanicula. If anybody would know where to locate one they would lol. good luck
gary

Gary, the Cyanicula have just been moved from Caladenia. The deal is the same, difficult if not impossible to grow .
It is easy to get seduced by pics or by viewing orchids in a display. Many moons ago i came across a collection of European Terrestrial Orchids growing in a cold-frame at a Botanical Gardens in New Zealand. The flowers were gorgeous. Needless to say i've never been tempted to try them

Anyway, i'm not saying that people should not try the difficult or unusual but they should be aware that you are better off becoming a specialist grower than attempting to grow one of this and one of that. A path taken by most newbies.

Here is a pic of part of an orchid display with three terrestrial orchid species included. They add interest. and of course are grown by the one specialist grower. Terrestrials in view are Glossodia major and minor and Ptst. baptistii.grower. The out of focus Bl. Yellow Bird is grown by me and requires nil expertise to grow and flower. Why torture yourself?
{{gwi:193962}}

This is "might be" Thelymitra malvina photographed in situ near Sydney, Ausralia.
{{gwi:193965}}

And lastly Caleana major, common name Flying duck orchid.
{{gwi:193967}}

Hi
Certainly not for me lol.I have enough trouble with Phaius and Spaths. Only ground orchids I attempt .
Just thought that if anybody wanted to get serious about them that website has more info than I've ever found.
Florida has about 40/60 native species and almost nobody is growing them. Again that site had more info than I've ever found in florida. Most are protected so finding sources is really tough.
Oh well if nothing else the site gives a lot of interesting reading and if anyone is growing them in the US I'd bet it's on that forum lol gary

arthur wrote,
"....be aware that you are better off becoming a specialist grower than attempting to grow one of this and one of that. A path taken by most newbies.

AMEN!

It took me about 10 years to come to this realization. Then, I strayed.

My problem? I have the infrequent "success" which thrills me so much that I think that I grow nearly everything! :)

--Stitz--

stitz
Given so much variety in the Ochidaeceae family the only certainty is that nobody will grow them all.lol
After all, everybody has to provide a specialized grow area even for the common types. Why wouldn't it be just as easy to provide a 'different" grow area??
The really great thing about this family is that there are so many fans it's possible to get all kinds of info.
Wish that were true of other plant families lol
gary

Gary,
It's quite easy to provide a different grow area and successfully cultivate Australian terrestrials. However in the US, where these plants are scarce, it's usually not worth the effort for 1 plant. Where I have seen non-Australians having success with Australian terrestrial species, they've usually already had a good collection of temperate terrestrial orchids from North America, Europe, South Africa etc, which require similar conditions, and have only needed to make very minor adjustments to accommodate the Aussies along side their other plants.