The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

lesser purple fringe bog-orchid, lesser purple fringe orchid, small purple-fringe orchid

Habit Plants 5–60 cm. Plants 14–101 cm.
Leaves

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.

2–5, wide-spreading, recurved to somewhat ascending, scattered along stem, gradually reduced to bracts distally;

blade lanceolate, oblong-elliptic, or oblong-obovate, 5–22 × 1.5–7 cm.

Spikes

lax to very dense.

lax to very dense.

Flowers

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, showy, lavender- to rose-purple, rarely white;

lateral sepals reflexed to somewhat spreading;

petals spatulate to broadly obovate or cuneate-oblong, margins dentate-lacerate to sparsely fringed;

lip descending to somewhat porrect, deeply 3-lobed, without basal thickening, 5–13 × 5–17 mm, distal margins of lobes fringed, sometimes deeply, lateral lobes often reflexed or slightly elevated above middle lobe, broadly to narrowly cuneate, middle lobe sometimes reflexed, broadly cuneate-flabellate, often emarginate to 2-fid;

spur slenderly cylindric to slightly clavate, 12–22 mm;

rostellum lobes nearly parallel, directed downward, short, rounded;

pollinaria nearly straight;

pollinia remaining enclosed within anther sacs;

viscidia suborbiculate to broadly elliptic;

ovary slender to stout, 9–16 mm.

2n

= 42.

= 42.

Platanthera aquilonis

Platanthera psycodes

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Wet meadows, tundra, marshes, fens, stream banks, shores, ditches, seeping slopes, roadsides, borrow pits, mesic deciduous forest slopes Alluvial and swamp forests, stream banks, riparian meadows, moist and seeping slopes, marshes, roadside banks, ditches, old fields
Elevation 0–2500 m (0–8200 ft) 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 psycodes is known to hybridize with P. lacera in the northeasternmost portion of its range, where the species bloom simultaneously. Such hybrids are known as P. ×andrewsii (M. White) Luer; see the discussion under P. lacera. A few specimens also suggest very rare hybridization with P. grandiflora.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 560. FNA vol. 26, p. 565.
Parent taxa Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Platanthera Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Platanthera
Sibling taxa
P. blephariglottis, P. brevifolia, P. chapmanii, P. chorisiana, P. ciliaris, P. clavellata, P. convallariifolia, P. cristata, P. dilatata, P. flava, P. grandiflora, P. hookeri, P. huronensis, P. hyperborea, P. integra, P. integrilabia, P. lacera, P. leucophaea, P. limosa, P. macrophylla, P. nivea, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. peramoena, P. praeclara, P. psycodes, P. purpurascens, P. sparsiflora, P. stricta, P. tipuloides, P. zothecina
P. aquilonis, P. blephariglottis, P. brevifolia, P. chapmanii, P. chorisiana, P. ciliaris, P. clavellata, P. convallariifolia, P. cristata, P. dilatata, P. flava, P. grandiflora, P. hookeri, P. huronensis, P. hyperborea, P. integra, P. integrilabia, P. lacera, P. leucophaea, P. limosa, P. macrophylla, P. nivea, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. peramoena, P. praeclara, P. purpurascens, P. sparsiflora, P. stricta, P. tipuloides, P. zothecina
Synonyms Orchis psycodes, Habenaria psycodes
Name authority Sheviak: Lindleyana 14: 193, figs. 1–5. (1999) (Linnaeus) Lindley: Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl., 294. (1835)
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