Thelymitra paludosa

Thelymitra paludosa, commonly known as the plain sun orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is endemic to Western Australia. It has a single erect, channelled, dark green leaf and up to ten or more blue to violet flowers. It grows in higher rainfall areas near the south coast.

Plain sun orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Thelymitra
Species:
T. paludosa
Binomial name
Thelymitra paludosa
Jeanes[1]

Description

Thelymitra paludosa is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, leathery, channelled, dark green linear to lance-shaped leaf 140–500 mm (6–20 in) long, 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide with a purplish base. Between two and ten or more blue to violet, sometimes pink or white flowers 18–45 mm (0.7–2 in) wide are arranged on a flowering stem 200–900 mm (8–40 in) tall. The sepals and petals are 8–20 mm (0.3–0.8 in) long and 4–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. The column is pale blue to pinkish 6–8.5 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is dark brown to almost black with a yellow, slightly notched tip. The side lobes have toothbrush-like tufts of white hairs near their ends. Flowering occurs from mid-October to December.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Thelymitra paludosa was first formally described in 2013 by Jeff Jeanes and the description was published in Muelleria from a specimen collected near Esperance.[5] The specific epithet (paludosa) is a Latin word meaning "swampy" or "marshy",[6] referring to the habitat preference of this species.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The plain sun orchid grows in high rainfall forests and around the edges of winter-wet swamps between Bunbury and Esperance.[2][3][7]

References
  1. "Thelymitra paludosa". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 444. ISBN 9780980296457.
  3. Jeanes, Jeffrey A. (2013). "An overview of the Thelymitra nuda (Orchidaceae) complex in Australia including the description of six new species" (PDF). Muelleria. 31: 17–18. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  4. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 323. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. "Thelymitra paludosa". APNI. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 514.
  7. "Thelymitra paludosa". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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