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Home , Goodyera, Orchidaceae, Zeuxine

– ORCHID

Plant: , vines rare Stem: or may be present : : simple, usually alternate but rarely opposite or whorled; parallel veined, somewhat fleshy and often forming a sheath at base; no stipules : perfect; often showy and unusual (irregular) and solitary or in spikes; with ; 3 or 2 by fusion, colored or green; 3 , colored or white, often with 2 lateral petals with a third larger modified into a lip, sometimes with a backward spur; usually 1, rarely 2-3; inferior, 3 carpels, many ovules (stamens adnate to pistil) (flower is rotated 180 degrees, resupinate, in most but not all) Fruit: , 3-chambered, very small and very numerous , or berry Other: very large family, most abundant in the tropics, many are epiphytic; Group Genera: 800+ genera; locally (lady-slipper); ; ; and others

WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive Flower Morphology in the Orchid flowers are complex examples of adaptation with Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) many and varied insect

Many, but not all, orchid flowers are rotated by 180 degrees (resupinate 3 sepals – free or 2 may be fused, condition) by rotation of the ovary or The lower resupinate lower lip colored or green; 3 petals – free or the pedicle with the now basal petal may form a pouch in some forming a long lip that benefits insect 2 may be fused, usually colored, 1 species (sort of a runway perhaps) petal (lower in resupinate flowers) usually forms a lip (various sizes Resupinate condition and shapes including a pouch in (flower upside down) one , and spurs in several others).

Sepals

Non-Resupinate condition The lower lip petal may have a spur

Petals

Both sepals and Petals in example above are colored – the lower petal (Lip or ) is elongated and fringed, the fleshy structures on the lip is termed the Callus (any hard protuberances) Flower Morphology in the Examples of common genera Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

[Crippled] Cranefly Orchid discolor (Pursh) Nutt. White Lady's Slipper [Yellow] Orange Fringed Orchid Dragon's Mouth [Swamp Pink] ciliaris (L.) Lindl. Arethusa bulbosa L. Muhl. ex Willd.

[Broadleaf] Helleborine Snakemouth Orchid [Rose ] Soldier's [Lawn] Orchid (L.) Grass Pink Orchid (L.) Ker Gawl. strateumatica (L.) Schltr. Crantz (Introduced) tuberosus (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. var. tuberosus

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain Nodding Lady's Tresses Summer [Spotted] Coralroot (Willd.) R. (L.) L.C. Rich. maculata (Raf.) Raf. Br. ex Ait. f. ORCHIDACEAE – ORCHID FAMILY

Dragon's Mouth [Swamp Pink]; Arethusa bulbosa L. [Tuberous] Grass Pink Orchid; (L.) B.S.P. Summer [Spotted] Coralroot; (Raf.) Raf. Yellow [Pale] Coralroot; Chatelain Spring Coralroot [Coral Root]; Conrad Pink Lady Slipper [Moccasin Flower]; Aiton White Lady's Slipper; Cypripedium candidum Muhl. ex Willd. Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper; Salisb. var. pubescens (Willd.) Knight [Broadleaf] Helleborine; Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz (Introduced) Downy Rattlesnake Plantain; Goodyera pubescens (Willd.) R. Br. ex Ait. f. [Yellow] Orange Fringed Orchid; (L.) Lindl. Small Green Wood [Club-Spur] Orchid; Platanthera clavellata (Michx.) Luer [ clavellata] Scentbottle [Tall White Rein Orchard]; (Pursh) Lindl. ex Beck Green Fringed [Ragged] Orchid; (Michx.) G. Don Prairie White Fringed Orchid; (Nutt.) Lindl. Snakemouth Orchid [Rose Pogonia]; Pogonia ophioglossoides (L.) Ker Gawl. Nodding Lady's Tresses; Spiranthes cernua (L.) L.C. Rich. Northern Slender Lady's Tresses; (Raf.) Raf. October [Lesser] Lady's Tresses; Lindl. Little Lady's Tresses; Raf. Spring [Grass-Leaved] Lady's Tresses; Engelm. & Gray [Crippled] Cranefly Orchid; (Pursh) Nutt. Soldier's [Lawn] Orchid; (L.) Schltr. Dragon's Mouth [Swamp Pink] USDA Arethusa bulbosa L. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Waterloo Recreation Area, Washtenaw County, Michigan Notes: flower irregular – 2 sepals (fused from 3) and 3 petals pink (magenta) form an arch over a veined, fringed and ridged lip (3rd petal) with bristles; solitary elliptical (after flowering); mostly in sphagnum ; late spring to early summer [V Max Brown, 2009] [Tuberous] Grass Pink Orchid USDA Calopogon tuberosus (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. var. tuberosus Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Kitty Todd Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: flower large and very irregular – lip at top with white spot having yellow- tipped bristles or hairs, petals and sepals pink (rarely white); leaves linear and grass-like, strongly veined; species variable; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2007] Summer [Spotted] Coralroot USDA Corallorhiza maculata (Raf.) Raf. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Terry Peak area, Lawrence County, South Dakota Notes: sepals and petals (6 ) form a hood (and wings) over a down- turned lip, and are reddish (similar to stem), lip white with purple spots; stem reddish to reddish-purple, a single stem but often grow in clusters, from rhizomes; 2-4 colorless sheaths (leaves) are present at flowering; mid-high elevation forests; summer [V Max Brown, 2014] Yellow [Pale] USDA Coralroot Corallorhiza trifida Chatelain Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Notes: sepals and petals (6 tepals) form a hood (and wings) over a down-turned lip, and are pale yellow, the lip is white, somewhat grooved and toothed on margins; stem grows from a ; a colorless sheath (leaf) is present at flowering; lower elevation woods; summer [V Max Brown, 2012] Spring Coralroot [Coral Root] USDA Corallorhiza wisteriana Conrad Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, Greene County, Missouri Notes: sepals and petals (6 tepals) are linear and form a hood over a down-turned lip, sepals and petals are purplish-brown with darker lines and dashes, the lip is white with purple marks, somewhat toothed on margins; stem grows from a rhizome; a colorless sheath (leaf) is present at flowering; spring [V Max Brown, 2010] Pink Lady Slipper USDA [Moccasin Flower] Cypripedium acaule Aiton Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Waterloo Recreation Area, Washtenaw County, Michigan Notes: flower lip forming a large inflated pouch, pink with red veins, sepals and lateral petals yellowish brown and streaked, subtended by one green bract, solitary on scape; usually 2 elliptical basal leaves; woods and bogs; late spring to summer [V Max Brown, 2009] White Lady's Slipper USDA Cypripedium candidum Muhl. ex Willd. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Goose Creek , Lenawee County, Michigan Notes: flower lip forming an inflated white pouch, sepals and lateral petals yellowish green with dark stripes; leaves narrowly elliptical, somewhat sheathing up the stem and erect, uppermost leaf subtends flower; wet meadows and swamps; late spring to summer [V Max Brown, 2009] Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper USDA Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb. var. pubescens (Willd.) Knight Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: flower forming a large inflated pouch, yellow, sepals greenish to brown; leaves alternate, ovate to lanceolate, sheathing toward base; a woods flower; spring [V Max Brown, 2004] Another example of Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb. var. pubescens but from higher elevations of the northern Black Hills, SD. The ‘pouch’ is much smaller than in eastern examples. Varieties of this species is confusing. [Broadleaf] Helleborine USDA Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz (Introduced) Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Maumee River Metroparks, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 3 sepals (pinkish white to greenish), 3 petals - 2 lateral and a long cup-shaped lip, purple interior, often a one-sided spike; leaves alternate, elliptical to lanceolate, sessile; summer [V Max Brown, 2006] Downy Rattlesnake Plantain USDA Goodyera pubescens (Willd.) R. Br. ex Ait. f. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: flower white,1 and 2 petals fused to form a hood over the lower lip, lateral sepals free, on terminal spike; leaves basal and dark green, whitened adjacent to midrib, secondary veins white, leaves present at flowering; downy; woods; summer [V Max Brown, 2006] [Yellow] Orange Fringed Orchid USDA Platanthera ciliaris (L.) Lindl. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: flower irregular – petals and sepals orange (yellow), lip not 3-parted but deeply fringed; leaves alternate, linear and long; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2007] Small Green Wood [Club-Spur] USDA Orchid Platanthera clavellata (Michx.) Luer [Habenaria clavellata] Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Waterloo Recreation Area, Washtenaw County, Michigan Notes: flower irregular – mostly white and small, lateral petals and upper sepal fused into hood, lateral sepals spreading, lip with 3 lobes, long club-shaped spur at base; leaves alternate, one large sheathing leaf in middle of stem with reduced leaves upward; swamps and bogs; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2009] Scentbottle [Tall White USDA Rein Orchard] Platanthera dilatata (Pursh) Lindl. ex Beck Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Notes: flowers white (sometimes yellowish or greenish), with a hood, 2 wings, a lip and a spur in a , fragrant; leaves mostly lanceolate, parallel veins, base sheaths stem; wet sites, from plains to alpine environments; summer [V Max Brown, 2012]

spur Green Fringed [Ragged] Orchid USDA Platanthera lacera (Michx.) G. Don Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) A Southwest Missouri Prairie, Polk County, Missouri Notes: flower irregular – petals (4-8 mm) and sepals (3-6 mm) fused at base and form a wide hood, white, cream or greenish-white, lip very deeply 3-parted and fringed, spur up to about 15-17 mm long, viscidia 1-1.5 mm apart, flowers on elongated spike; leaves alternate, narrowly lanceolate and tend to wrap the stem; prairies, forests and other damp areas; summer [V Max Brown, 2015] Prairie White Fringed Orchid USDA Platanthera leucophaea (Nutt.) Lindl. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Waterloo Recreation Area, Washtenaw County, Michigan Notes: flower irregular – petals and sepals fused at base and form a wide hood, white, cream or greenish-white, lip 3-parted and fringed, on elongated spike; leaves alternate, narrowly lanceolate and wrap the stem; swamps and bogs; summer (flower shown not complete) [V Max Brown, 2009] Snakemouth Orchid [Rose USDA Pogonia] Pogonia ophioglossoides (L.) Ker Gawl. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Waterloo Recreation Area, Washtenaw County, Michigan Notes: flower irregular – petals and sepals pink (white), lip with yellow bristles; single larger leaf, elliptical- oblong; wet area and bogs, summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2008] Nodding Lady's Tresses USDA Spiranthes cernua (L.) L.C. Rich. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: flowers in multiple rows on stem, horizontal or nodding, lip white, glandular hairs present, one bract overlays flower; leaves linear and long, upper leaves much reduced; late summer and fall (variable, most common species of Lady’s Tresses) [V Max Brown, 2006] Northern Slender USDA Lady's Tresses Spiranthes lacera (Raf.) Raf. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Near Greers Ferry Lake, Cleburne County, Arkansas Notes: flowers irregular, often (not always) forming a symmetrical single spiral; sepals and lateral petals white, up to 7 mm long, lateral sepals free to near base and mostly parallel to flower, lip with irregular or toothed lip, there is a green-colored area on inside of lip; 2 to 4 basal leaves, sometimes present at flowering (or not), elliptical to ovate, glabrous; plant erect, up to 60+ cm; often in dry forests can be found in many ; late summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2014] October [Lesser] USDA Lady's Tresses Spiranthes ovalis Lindl. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Sam A. Baker State Park, Wayne County, Missouri Notes: flowers in multiple rows on stem, white with white lip, tightly bound by ; basal leaves few, linear; woods; fall [V Max Brown, 2007] Little Lady's Tresses USDA Spiranthes tuberosa Raf. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Near Greers Ferry Lake, Cleburne County, Arkansas Notes: flowers irregular; white, sepals and lateral petals white, up to 5 mm long (small), lateral sepals free to near base and mostly parallel to flower, lip with irregular or toothed lip, no colored area on inside of lip; basal leaves elliptical, glabrous, not present at flowering; plant erect, up to 50 cm; often in forests, especially on acid substrates; late summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2014] Spring [Grass- USDA Leaved] Lady's Tresses Spiranthes vernalis Engelm. & Gray Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Cave City area, Stark County, Arkansas Notes: flowers in single spiral on stem, white, lateral sepals free and usually bent up, yellow on interior of flower; basal leaves linear; often in grassy areas; summer [V Max Brown, 2007] [Crippled] Cranefly Orchid USDA Tipularia discolor (Pursh) Nutt. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Near Greers Ferry Lake, Cleburne County, Arkansas Notes: flower irregular – sepals and lateral petals similar (purplish), lip 3-lobed, with spur and white , a raceme with 20-40+ flowers; cauline leaves only reduced sheathing bracts; 1 basal leaf, up to 10+ cm, triangular to ovate, glabrous, on short (up to 4 cm) petiole, green above and purple below, occurs after flowering in fall; plant erect, up to 60+ cm; deep woods, usually on moist soils; mid to late summer [V Max Brown, 2014] Soldier's [Lawn] USDA Orchid Zeuxine strateumatica (L.) Schltr. Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Destin, Okaloosa County, Florida Notes: flowers white with yellow lip, fleshy, bracts green; leaves linear with sheathing base, spirally arranged on stem, usually erect, keeled; moist areas such as lawns, green houses, etc., weedy; fall and winter (sometimes spring) [V Max Brown, 2012]