Burke: Platanthera aquilonis

	Platanthera aquilonis
	eagle rein orchid, Sheviak's bog orchid
Habit	Herbaceous perennials, 5-60 cm tall, erect to slightly decumbent, succulent; stems not angled; roots fasciculate, fleshy.
Leaves	Leaves few to several, becoming reduced to bracts towards inflorescence; blade oblong to narrowly lanceolate, 2.7-23 cm long and 0.4-4 cm broad, somewhat folded lengthwise, base sheathing stem.
Flowers	Inflorescence a terminal spike, sparse to very dense; flowers resupinate, light green to light yellowish green, with dull yellowish lip, or whitish green when conditions are cool; lateral sepals spreading or bent strongly away from flower center; petals rhombic-ovate to lance-falcate, margins entire; labellum bent strongly downward, or extending forward, or apex adhered to apexes of dorsal sepal and petals, rhombic-lanceolate to lanceolate, not thickened basally, 2.5-6 cm long and 1-1.5 mm broad, base not rounded-dilated, margins entire; spur thicker at apex than base or somewhat cylindric, 2-5 mm; rostellum lobes diverging and directed downward, minute, rounded; pollinaria 2, straight; pollinia 2, turning forward, may be fragmenting, masses of pollen loose and free of anther sacs, trailing down onto stigma, stigma entire; viscidia orbiculate, free; ovary slender to stout, usually 5-13 mm.
Fruits	Capsules.

	Platanthera aquilonis
Flowering time	June-August
Habitat	Wet meadows from the montane to subalpine.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington in north-central and northeastern Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east across the northern half of North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Review Group 1 in Washington (WANHP)
Sibling taxa	P. chorisiana, P. dilatata, P. elegans, P. elongata, P. ephemerantha, P. huronensis, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. sparsiflora, P. stricta, P. transversa, P. unalascensis
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Platanthera aquilonis

eagle rein orchid, Sheviak's bog orchid

Habit

Herbaceous perennials, 5-60 cm tall, erect to slightly decumbent, succulent; stems not angled; roots fasciculate, fleshy.

Leaves

Leaves few to several, becoming reduced to bracts towards inflorescence;

blade oblong to narrowly lanceolate, 2.7-23 cm long and 0.4-4 cm broad, somewhat folded lengthwise, base sheathing stem.

Flowers

Inflorescence a terminal spike, sparse to very dense;

flowers resupinate, light green to light yellowish green, with dull yellowish lip, or whitish green when conditions are cool;

lateral sepals spreading or bent strongly away from flower center;

petals rhombic-ovate to lance-falcate, margins entire;

labellum bent strongly downward, or extending forward, or apex adhered to apexes of dorsal sepal and petals, rhombic-lanceolate to lanceolate, not thickened basally, 2.5-6 cm long and 1-1.5 mm broad, base not rounded-dilated, margins entire;

spur thicker at apex than base or somewhat cylindric, 2-5 mm;

rostellum lobes diverging and directed downward, minute, rounded;

pollinaria 2, straight;

pollinia 2, turning forward, may be fragmenting, masses of pollen loose and free of anther sacs, trailing down onto stigma, stigma entire;

viscidia orbiculate, free;

ovary slender to stout, usually 5-13 mm.

Fruits

Capsules.

Platanthera aquilonis

Flowering time

June-August

Habitat

Wet meadows from the montane to subalpine.

Distribution

Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington in north-central and northeastern Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east across the northern half of North America to the Atlantic Coast.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Review Group 1 in Washington (WANHP)

Sibling taxa