English: Star of Bethlehem; Blue tinsel lily.
Name: from the Ancient Greek words kalos "beautiful" and ektasis "development", alluding to the blue spreading perianth-tubes.
Source: Essence Online.
Genus: ± 15 species.
Region: southern Australia.
Botany: perennial herb, small, branched shrubs to 50 cm high; habitat usually in low heath or woodland on sand, or over laterite or granite, sometimes seasonally swampy areas; roots sand-binding; branchlets stiff, erect, covered by old leaves, leaf sheaths and short, soft hairs; leaves lance-shaped leaves have pointed ends and parallel veins; flowers singly, on the ends of short branchlets, buzz pollinated; tepals six, lilac-blue to purple, form a short tube at their lower end, but mostly spreading, forming a star-like pattern with a metallic sheen; stamens 6, bright yellow or orange, forming a tube in the centre of the flower; thin style extending beyond the centre of the stamen tube; often parasitised by a dodder-like plant in the Cassytha genus.
Calectasia can have stilt roots, are killed by fire, can only regenerate from seed whilst others have tubers and can resprout from these.
Taxonomy; similar to Thelymitra variegata flowers, often occur in the same area.