Piperia unalascensis |
Piperia elegans |
|
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Alaska piperia, slender-spire orchid |
chaparral orchid, coast piperia, elegant piperia, elegant rein orchid, hillside rein orchid, long-spur piperia, rein orchid, seaside rein orchid, wood rein orchid |
|
Habit | Plants 9–70 cm. | Plants 12–73(–100) cm. |
Stems | swollen to uniform diameter toward base, 0.7–6.1 mm diam. distal to leaves; bracts 1–8. |
swollen at base (rarely attenuate), 2–12 mm diam. distal to leaves; bracts (4–)12–37. |
Leaves | prostrate; blade 5–16(–20) × 1.3–3.5 cm. |
prostrate; blade 6–20(–38) × 1–9 cm. |
Inflorescences | usually sparsely flowered, 3–44 cm; rachis usually longer than peduncle; bracts 3–23 mm. |
usually densely flowered, cylindric, 2.5–40 cm; rachis shorter than peduncle; bracts 6–24 mm. |
Flowers | ± translucent green, fragrance nocturnal but lingering during day, musky or soapy, sometimes honeylike; sepals ± translucent, 2–4.2 × 1–2.6 mm; dorsal sepal ovate to oblong; lateral sepals spreading to strongly recurved; petals usually projecting to erect, ± straight-sided, asymmetrically ovate to linear-lanceolate, 2–5.5 × 0.6–2 mm; lip ± deflexed, broadly ovate to lanceolate-elliptic, 2–5 × 1–3 mm, apex usually somewhat upcurved; spur horizontal to decurved, 2–5.5 mm, ± equal to lip; viscidia broadly elliptic-ovate, 0.15–0.5 × 0.1–0.3 mm; rostellum blunt. |
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. |
Capsules | 3.5–10.5 mm. |
5–12 mm. |
Seeds | tan to cinnamon brown. |
cinnamon brown. |
2n | = 42. |
|
Piperia unalascensis |
Piperia elegans |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug; Apr–May, lowlands of n Calif. | |
Habitat | Coniferous and mixed evergreen forests, generally dry sites, rarely coastal bluffs | |
Elevation | 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) | |
Distribution |
AK; CA; CO; ID; MI; MT; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NF; ON; QC
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w North America
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Discussion | The racemes in Piperia unalascensis are usually slender and sparsely flowered; racemes of uncommon coastal populations (including the type) are short, stout, and densely flowered. Plants of the coast ranges and the Pacific Northwest are stouter and have broader sepals and petals than do interior and montane forms. Two sympatric forms appear to be in the Sierra Nevada, differing in lip morphology and scent. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 575. | FNA vol. 26, p. 573. |
Parent taxa | Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Piperia | Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Piperia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Spiranthes unalascensis, Habenaria schischmareffiana, Habenaria unalaschensis, Platanthera foetida, Platanthera unalaschcensis | Platanthera elegans |
Name authority | (Sprengel) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 270. (1901) | (Lindley) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 270 (1901) |
Web links |