Thelymitra paludosa, commonly known as the plain sun orchid, 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.
Thelymitra paludosa is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, leathery, channelled, dark green linear to lance-shaped leaf NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with a purplish base. Between two and ten or more blue to violet, sometimes pink or white flowers NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide are arranged on a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The sepals and petals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The column is pale blue to pinkish NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 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.[1] [2] [3]
Thelymitra paludosa was first formally described in 2013 by Jeff Jeanes and the description was published in Muelleria from a specimen collected near Esperance.[4] The specific epithet (paludosa) is a Latin word meaning "swampy" or "marshy",[5] referring to the habitat preference of this species.
The plain sun orchid grows in high rainfall forests and around the edges of winter-wet swamps between Bunbury and Esperance.