Platanthera aquilonis
Platanthera limosa
eagle rein orchid, north wind bog-orchid, northern bog orchid, northern green bog orchid, northern green orchid, northern green rein orchid, Sheviak's bog orchid
Thurber's bog orchid
few–several, ascending to arcuate-spreading, scattered along stem, gradually reduced to bracts distally;
blade oblong to linear-lanceolate, 2.7–23 × 0.4–4 cm.
few to several, spreading-ascending on base of stem, gradually reduced to bracts upwards;
blade lanceolate, 9–28 × 1.2–3.5 cm.
lax to very dense.
dense to lax.
resupinate, not showy, yellowish green with dull yellowish lip, or more whitish green under cool conditions;
lateral sepals spreading to reflexed;
petals rhombic-ovate- to lance-falcate, margins entire;
lip descending, projecting, or apex adhering to dorsal sepal and petal apices, rhombic-lanceolate to lanceolate, without basal thickening, 2.5–6 × 1–1.5 mm, base not rounded-dilated, margins entire;
spur clavate or sometimes rather cylindric, 2–5 mm, apex usually broadly obtuse;
rostellum lobes divergent, directed downward, very small, rounded, obscure;
pollinaria straight;
pollinia rotating forward and/or fragmenting, loose pollen masses free of anther sacs and trailing downward onto stigma;
viscidia orbiculate;
ovary rather slender to stout, mostly 5–13 mm.
resupinate, inconspicuous, green;
lateral sepals reflexed to spreading;
petals lanceolate-, ovate-oblong-, or ovate-falcate, margins entire;
lip descending to reflexed, linear-oblong, linear-elliptic, or rhombic-ovate, usually with inconspicuous to scarcely discernable (possibly sometimes absent) median basal thickening, 2.5–8.5 × less than 1–3.5 mm, margins entire;
spur filiform, tapering toward apex, very rarely filiform-conic from slightly stout base, 8–25 mm;
rostellum lobes mostly parallel, closely spaced, directed downward, very small, rounded, obscure;
pollinaria straight;
pollinia remaining enclosed in anther sacs;
viscidia evidently elliptic-oblong;
ovary rather slender to stout, mostly 4.5–11 mm.
= 42.
Platanthera aquilonis
Platanthera limosa
Flowers of Platanthera aquilonis are usually scentless, but in the far northwest they have a sweet, pungent scent, like that of some related species. The flowers are commonly self-pollinating: the pollinia rotate forward and downward, contacting the stigma, and/or the pollen masses dissociate and are deposited on the stigma as if they had sifted downward.
Platanthera aquilonis is a North American diploid species long confused with the tetraploid Icelandic P. hyperborea (Linnaeus) Lindley. Flowers of both species autopollinate, although the details of the mechanisms may differ. The two species differ in column structure and lip and viscidium shape. True P. hyperborea is similar to P. huronensis, and the relationship of these two species needs further study.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Platanthera limosa is traditionally distinguished from other slender-spurred plants and from P. sparsiflora by the presence on the lip of a median thickening that culminates in a small basal process. Although diagnostic when present, this feature is often obscure, especially in live material, and seems to be lacking in some plants. Platanthera limosa is most consistently separated from other green-flowered species by the combination of very small, narrow column and slender spur much longer than the lip. These features are in contrast to the very large, broad columns of P. sparsiflora and P. zothecina and much shorter spurs of the P. hyperborea complex. The lips of most plants are elliptic to elliptic-oblong, unlike any other species except the Aleutian P. tipuloides, and such plants are readily determined by lip shape and spur characters. Within populations plants may vary greatly in flower size, spur shape and length, and the ratio of spur to lip length. Individual plants may vary markedly in size of the flowers and density of the inflorescence in different years. That situation warrants additional study, as it may obscure the presence of other taxa.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria, 
SW CO Wildflowers 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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