Piperia elegans
Piperia elegans subsp. elegans
chaparral orchid, coast piperia, elegant piperia, elegant rein orchid, hillside rein orchid, long-spur piperia, rein orchid, seaside rein orchid, wood rein orchid
elegant piperia
swollen at base (rarely attenuate), 2–12 mm diam. distal to leaves;
bracts (4–)12–37.
prostrate;
blade 6–20(–38) × 1–9 cm.
usually densely flowered, cylindric, 2.5–40 cm;
rachis shorter than peduncle;
bracts 6–24 mm.
mostly white, fragrance strong at night;
sepals white with green midvein, 3–7 × 1.6–3 mm;
dorsal sepal ovate to oblong;
lateral sepals usually widespreading, ovate-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate;
petals spreading, recurved, straight, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, (3–)4–6 × 1.5–2.5 mm;
lip recurved, pale greenish to white, triangular-lanceolate to lanceolate, 2.5–7 × 1.5–3.5 mm;
spur usually deflexed, curved, (3–)7–14 mm;
viscidia 0.4–1 × 0.15–0.5 mm;
rostellum blunt.
pleasantly scented or musky;
petals and lip pale green to white;
spur 7–14 mm;
viscidia oblong, 0.6–1 mm, usually more than 2 times as long as wide.
5–12 mm.
cinnamon brown.
= 42.
Piperia elegans
Piperia elegans subsp. elegans
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
[Key to subspecies contained in key to species.—Ed.]
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Plants on exposed coastal bluffs are shorter and stouter than plants in sheltered or inland localities. Plants in warmer interior locations flower earlier than those on the coast and have fewer stem bracts. The flowers are pollinated by noctuid moths (J. D. Ackerman 1977).
A population in San Francisco, California, is also unusual by having basally attenuate stems and by flowering very late (Sep–Oct).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
