| Dragon's mouth orchid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Taken Pancake Bay, Ontario | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Arethuseae |
| Subtribe: | Arethusinae |
| Genus: | Arethusa L. |
| Species: | A. bulbosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Arethusa bulbosa | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
| |
Arethusa bulbosa, commonly called dragon's mouth orchid, [4] is the only species in the orchid genus Arethusa. [3] The genus is named after a naiad of Greek mythology. [5] This monotypic genus is abbreviated Aret in trade journals.
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This terrestrial and rare orchid occurs in Eastern North America from Manitoba east to Newfoundland and St. Pierre & Miquelon south to Virginia, with isolated populations in northern Saskatchewan and in the Carolinas. [3] [6] [7] It occurs in bogs, swamps and other wet lowlands. It grows to a height of 15 cm. It forms a large, single, pink terminal flower, with a showy lip and white and yellow fringed crests. [2]
