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chaparral orchid, dense flower rein orchid, wood rein-orchid

Habit Plants (9–)14–130 cm.
Stems

± uniform toward tuberoid, 1–12 mm diam. distal to leaves;

bracts 4–22.

Leaves

prostrate;

blade 7.5–32 × 1–8.4 cm.

Inflorescences

sparsely to densely flowered, (3.5–)6–70 cm;

rachis usually longer than peduncle;

bracts 5–20 mm.

Flowers

green;

fragrance when present nocturnal, faint, harsh to honeylike;

sepals 2.4–6 × 1.1–3 mm;

dorsal sepal ovate;

lateral sepals spreading to recurved, ± obliquely lanceolate to oblong;

petals erect-spreading, ± falcate, ovate-attenuate, 3–6 × 1.5–2.5 mm, inner margins forming U;

lip becoming strongly deflexed, triangular-lanceolate, 2.1–5 × 1.2–3.4 mm;

spur curved, mostly deflexed, (7–)9–15(–18) mm;

viscidia broadly elliptic-ovate, 0.4–0.6 × (0.2–)0.3–0.4 mm;

rostellum blunt.

Capsules

4–11 mm.

Seeds

cinnamon brown.

2n

= 42.

Piperia elongata

Phenology Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Forest chaparral, dry, open sites, usually away from the immediate coast
Elevation 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants of the California Channel Islands are smaller, have narrower viscidia than typical plants, and flower earlier (May–June).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 576.
Parent taxa Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Piperia
Sibling taxa
P. candida, P. colemanii, P. cooperi, P. elegans, P. leptopetala, P. michaelii, P. transversa, P. unalascensis, P. yadonii
Synonyms Habenaria elegans var. elata, Habenaria unalascensis subsp. elata, Habenaria unalascensis var. elata, P. elegans var. elata
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 270. (1901)
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