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white fringe orchid, white-fringe bog-orchid

monkeyface, white fringeless orchid

Habit Plants 8–110 cm. Plants 50–80 cm.
Leaves

2–several, spreading to ascending, scattered along stem, rather abruptly to gradually reduced distally;

blade linear-lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate, 5–35 × 1–5 cm.

2(–3), spreading to ascending, on basal portion of stem, abruptly reduced to bracts distally;

blade lanceolate to elliptic, 12–23 × 1–3.2 cm.

Spikes

dense to rather lax.

rather lax.

Flowers

resupinate, showy, white;

lateral sepals reflexed;

petals linear to oblanceolate, apex fringed to nearly entire;

lip reflexed to porrect, without basal thickening, ovate-oblong to oblong-elliptic, rarely quadrangular-suborbiculate, margin fringed;

spur essentially cylindric, slender;

rostellum lobes curving forward, slightly spreading, angular-elongate;

pollinaria with stalks curved forward;

pollinia remaining enclosed in anther sacs;

viscidia elliptic-suborbiculate to orbiculate;

ovary slender, 10–28 mm.

resupinate, showy, white;

lateral sepals reflexed;

petals oblong, margins entire;

lip porrect, spatulate to lance-spatulate, without basal thickening, 10–15 × 2.5–4 mm, margins slightly lacerate to subentire;

spur slenderly cylindric, scarcely clavate, 35–60 mm;

rostellum lobes directed forward, spreading, angular;

rostellum lobes slenderly curving forward, slightly spreading, angular-elongate, long;

pollinaria with stalks curved forward;

pollinia remaining enclosed in anther sacs;

viscidia orbiculate;

ovary slender, ca.16–22 mm.

Platanthera blephariglottis

Platanthera integrilabia

Phenology Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug.
Habitat Wet wooded flats, seeping slopes, marshes, sphagnum bogs
Elevation mostly 100–700 m (mostly 300–2300 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
e North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; GA; KY; MS; NC; SC; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Of conservation concern.

The description of Platanthera integrilabia is based on a limited sample and is likely too restrictive.

Flowers of this species are nocturnally sweet-scented. The vegetative habit is distinctive, with leaves restricted to the base of the stem and a relatively few-flowered inflorescence borne atop a tall bracted scape. In addition to the normal tuberoid, roots often enlarge distally to form bud-bearing tuberoids at a marked distance from the parent stem, giving rise to diffuse clonal colonies.

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

Key
1. Spur less than 26 mm, to 1.25 times length of ovary.
var. blephariglottis
1. Spur at least 30 mm, commonly about 2 times length of ovary.
var. conspicua
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 567. FNA vol. 26, p. 568.
Parent taxa Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Platanthera Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Platanthera
Sibling taxa
P. aquilonis, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
P. blephariglottis var. blephariglottis, P. blephariglottis var. conspicua
Synonyms Orchis blephariglottis, Habenaria blephariglottis Habenaria blephariglottis var. integrilabia, Habenaria correlliana
Name authority (Willdenow) Lindley: Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl., 291. (1835) (Correll) Luer: Native Orchids U.S. & Canada, 186. (1975)
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