Nodding lady's tresses | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Orchidaceae |
Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
Tribe: | Cranichideae |
Genus: | Spiranthes |
Species: | S. cernua |
Binomial name | |
Spiranthes cernua | |
Synonyms | |
Spiranthes cernua, commonly called nodding lady's tresses, [2] or nodding ladies' tresses, [3] is a species of orchid occurring from Maritime Canada to the eastern and southern United States. As the common name suggests cernua means "nodding", or "bowed" in Latin.
Spiranthes cernua plants grow to 50 centimetres (20 in) tall. They have 1 to 5 narrow, basal, upright leaves, 2.6 centimetres (1.0 in) long and 2 centimetres (0.8 in) wide. [4] The leaves are present during flowering but wilt afterwards. The white flowers are arranged in a spiral around the stem. Each flower is 6–12 millimetres (0.2–0.5 in) long and consists of 3 sepals and 3 petals, all curved forward to give the flower a long bell shape. Flowers are slightly to strongly nodding (hence the name), with older flowers usually nodding more than new ones. The dorsal sepal (the one at the top) is convex and recurved upwards towards the tip. The lip (bottom petal) curves strongly downwards towards its tip. [5] [6]
The genus name, Spiranthes, originated from the Greek words speira (coil) and anthos (flower), describing the spiral flowers common to the orchids in this group. [7] Cernua is from the Greek word cernuus and refers to the drooping or bowing flowers. [8]
The species is native in central and eastern North America, from Ontario and Quebec to the north, Nebraska to the west, Texas to the south, and Novia Scotia to the east. [2] Spiranthes cernua grows in wet meadows, mossy seeps, maritime dune swallows, Sphagnum areas around pond and lake edges and along roadsides. [6]
The orchid blooms in autumn, from August to November. [4] Native bees, including bumblebees, feed on the nectar and pollinate the plant. [9]
Before more recent identification of several separate species Spiranthes cernua had long been described as a species complex, exhibiting different morphologies throughout its range. Charles Sheviak, now retired curator of the New York State Museum Herbarium, explored this diversity in great detail, [10] eventually describing Spiranthes magnicamporum to represent large, later-flowering individuals with tuberous roots from the Midwest. [11] More recently, molecular and morphological work has recognized additional cryptic species in need of description; these newly recognized species are sometimes not closely related to S. cernua. [6]
Broadly, the Spiranthes cernua species complex includes: [6]
Spiranthes odorata was also formerly included in the cernua species complex but newer research shows it belonging to a different clade containing most of the remaining Eastern North American Spiranthes species. [6]
A commonly cultivated variety is Spiranthes cernua 'Chadds Ford', grown because of its larger flowers, ease of cultivation, and other merits. [13] This cultivar is also often labelled as Spiranthes odorata however botanically it is neither but a third species called Spiranthes bightensis . [14]
Spiranthes is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses. The genus is distributed in the Americas, Eurasia, and Australia. The genus name Spiranthes is derived from the Greek speira ("coil") and anthos ("flower"), and was inspired by the spirally arranged inflorescence.
Spiranthes romanzoffiana, commonly known as hooded lady's tresses or Irish lady's-tresses, is a species of orchid. Collected by Chamisso during the Romanzov expedition it was described by him in 1828 and named for Count Nikolay Rumyantsev who financed the expedition. This orchid is native to North America, Ireland and the British Isles.
Spiranthes ochroleuca, commonly called the yellow nodding lady's tresses, is a species of orchid occurring from southeastern Canada to the eastern United States.
Spiranthes porrifolia is a species of orchid known by the common names creamy lady's tresses and western ladies' tresses. It is native to the western United States from Washington and Idaho to southern California. It can be found in moist habitats, such as mountain meadows, swamps, fens, and riverbanks. It is a perennial herb growing from a tuberous root system, reaching a maximum height around 60 cm (24 in). The leaves are mainly located around the base of the erect stem. They are linear or lance-shaped, or sometimes nearly oval. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence, a dense spiral of many flowers. Each flower is somewhat tubular, with an upper and lower lip, and cream to yellowish in color.
Spiranthes diluvialis is a rare species of orchid known as Ute lady's tresses. The species name diluvialis means "of the flood". It is native to the western United States, where there are scattered, mostly small occurrences in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. An occurrence was recently discovered in southern British Columbia. The plant faces a number of threats to its existence. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.
Spiranthes infernalis, common name Ash Meadows lady's tresses, is a rare species of orchid known from only four locations in Nevada, all close to one another. The type locale is inside Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, in Nye County approximately 90 miles (140 km) WNW of Las Vegas. The site is a seasonally wet meadow.
Spiranthes odorata, marsh lady's tresses or common lady's tresses, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, native to the southeastern United States, from Texas eastwards and northwards to Delaware. It grows in moist, partially shaded environments with acidic or neutral soil.
Spiranthes ovalis, commonly called the October lady's tresses, is a species of orchid that is native to eastern North America.
Spiranthes australis, commonly known as austral ladies tresses, is a species of orchid that grows from southern Caspian Sea and Himalayan Mountains to the South-West Pacific and north throughout Japan. It has up to about ten leaves at the base of a flowering stem with up to sixty small pink and white flowers spirally arranged around it.
Spiranthes lucida, the shining ladies'-tresses, is a species of orchid native to northeastern North America.
Spiranthes incurva, the Sphinx ladies' tresses, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae. This orchid is native to the upper Midwest and Great Lakes Basin of North America. The species was originally described as Ibidium incurvumJenn. in 1906. Long treated as part of a sensu latoSpiranthes cernua, the species complex was reevaluated and Spiranthes incurva reestablished as a separate species in 2017. Spiranthes incurva is an ancient natural hybrid of S. cernuasensu stricto and S. magnicamporum.
Spiranthes arcisepala, the Appalachian ladies' tresses, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae. This orchid is native to eastern North America. Long treated as part of Spiranthes cernua the species complex was reevaluated and Spiranthes arcisepala established as a separate species in 2017.
Spiranthes niklasii, Niklas' ladies' tresses, is a terrestrial orchid nearly endemic to the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and Oklahoma with a few other known populations.
Spiranthes perexilis, the languid ladies’-tresses, is a species of orchid native to California and Oregon.
Spiranthes triloba, the panther ladies' tresses is a terrestrial orchid endemic to Florida.
Spiranthes bightensis, the Atlantic ladies tresses, is a terrestrial orchid native to coasts of the north-eastern United States.
Spiranthes casei, or Case's lady's tresses, is a species of orchid native to the northeastern United States and Canada.
Spiranthes igniorchis, or fire ladies' tresses, is a species of orchid endemic to Florida.
Spiranthes sheviakii, the old field ladies' tresses, is a species of orchid growing in North America.