Thelymitra improcera

Thelymitra improcera, commonly called the coastal sun orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single erect, fleshy leaf and up to eight relatively small pale to bright blue flowers on a short flowering stem. The lobe on top of the anther is unusually short and lobed.

Description
Thelymitra sparsa is a tuberous, perennial herb with a single erect, fleshy, channelled, linear to lance-shaped leaf 100-200 mm long and 8-10 mm wide. Up to eight pale to bright blue flowers 20-25 mm wide are arranged on a flowering stem 150-250 mm tall. The sepals and petals are 12-15 mm long and 5-8 mm wide, with the labellum (the lowest petal) narrower. The column is white or bluish with a yellow tip, 5-6 mm long and about 2.5 mm wide. The lobe on the top of the anther is short with a yellow tip and small glands on the back. The side lobes have a long, mop-like tufts of white hairs. Flowering occurs from October to December but the flowers are self-pollinated and open only slowly on hot days.

Taxonomy and naming
Thelymitra improcera was first formally described in 1999 by David Jones from a specimen collected on King Island, and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research. The specific epithet (improcera) is a Latin word meaning “short" or "undersized", referring to this species' flower size compared to T. media.

Distribution and habitat
The coastal sun orchid mostly grows in low-lying, moist heath and is found on King Island and in the far south-east of Victoria.