Burke: Platanthera macrophylla vs. Platanthera sparsiflora

	Platanthera macrophylla	Platanthera sparsiflora
		canyon bog orchid
Habit		Herbaceous perennials, 20-125 cm tall or greater, erect to slightly decumbent, somewhat succulent; stems not angled; roots fasciculate, slender and tuberous, fleshy.
Leaves		Leaves few to several, ascending to recurved and spreading, dispersed along stem or gathered near base, becoming reduced to bracts distally either gradually or abruptly; blades sessile, folded slightly lengthwise, ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate-elliptic to linear, 6.5-30 cm long and 0.8-5 cm broad.
Flowers		Inflorescence sparsely- or densely-flowered spike; flowers resupinate, pale yellowish green to pale green, not showy; lateral sepals bent sharply backwards or occasionally spreading; petals ovate-falcate to lance-falcate, margins entire; labellum bent downward, linear to oblong or linear-lanceolate, a thickened median basal ridge present or not, 4.5-11 mm long and 0.6-3 mm broad, margins entire; spur somewhat club-shaped to cylindric or attenuate toward an acute apex; rostellum lobes slightly to strongly spreading apart, extending forward, rounded-subangular to rounded, relatively prominent to minute and obscure; pollinaria 2, not curved; pollinia 2, remaining within anther sacs; viscidia free, orbiculate to oblong; stigma entire; ovary slender to stout, generally 5-14 mm.
Fruits		Capsules, ellipsoid to cylindric.

	Platanthera macrophylla	Platanthera sparsiflora
Habitat		Wet meadows, fens, and seeps.
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	south-central Washington to Baja California, east to Colorado and New Mexico. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin		Native
Conservation status		Not of concern
Sibling taxa	P. aquilonis, P. chorisiana, P. dilatata, P. elegans, P. elongata, P. ephemerantha, P. huronensis, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. sparsiflora, P. stricta, P. transversa, P. unalascensis	P. aquilonis, P. chorisiana, P. dilatata, P. elegans, P. elongata, P. ephemerantha, P. huronensis, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. stricta, P. transversa, P. unalascensis
Web links	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	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Platanthera macrophylla

Platanthera sparsiflora

canyon bog orchid

Habit

Herbaceous perennials, 20-125 cm tall or greater, erect to slightly decumbent, somewhat succulent; stems not angled; roots fasciculate, slender and tuberous, fleshy.

Leaves

Leaves few to several, ascending to recurved and spreading, dispersed along stem or gathered near base, becoming reduced to bracts distally either gradually or abruptly;

blades sessile, folded slightly lengthwise, ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate-elliptic to linear, 6.5-30 cm long and 0.8-5 cm broad.

Flowers

Inflorescence sparsely- or densely-flowered spike;

flowers resupinate, pale yellowish green to pale green, not showy;

lateral sepals bent sharply backwards or occasionally spreading;

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

labellum bent downward, linear to oblong or linear-lanceolate, a thickened median basal ridge present or not, 4.5-11 mm long and 0.6-3 mm broad, margins entire;

spur somewhat club-shaped to cylindric or attenuate toward an acute apex;

rostellum lobes slightly to strongly spreading apart, extending forward, rounded-subangular to rounded, relatively prominent to minute and obscure;

pollinaria 2, not curved;

pollinia 2, remaining within anther sacs;

viscidia free, orbiculate to oblong;

stigma entire;

ovary slender to stout, generally 5-14 mm.

Fruits

Capsules, ellipsoid to cylindric.