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little club-spur bog-orchid, small green wood orchid

Hooker's bog-orchid, Hooker's orchid

Habit Plants 8–47 cm. Plants 18–45 cm.
Leaves

1(–2), on basal half of stem, ascending to spreading, usually abruptly reduced to bracts distally;

blade oblanceolate to oblong, linear-oblong, or elliptic, 3–19 × 0.8–3.5 cm.

2, in subequal basal pair, spreading-ascending or lying on ground;

bracts 0(–1, very rarely);

blade orbiculate, broadly elliptic, or obovate, 5–17 × 4–13 cm.

Spikes

moderately dense.

lax.

Flowers

resupinate, often incompletely so and held at angle, not showy, rather inconspicuous pale green to dull yellowish green;

lateral sepals porrect;

petals ovate to obovate;

lip oblong, obscurely 3-lobed, without basal thickening, 3–7 × 3–4 mm, margins sometimes dentate-lacerate, apex truncate;

spur clavate, 7–13 mm;

rostellum lobes directed downward, very short, truncate;

pollinaria straight or slightly curved laterally;

pollinia fragmenting, pollen masses trailing down onto stigma;

viscidia linear to linear lanceolate;

ovary rather stout, 6–11 mm.

resupinate, not showy;

calyx green;

corolla commonly yellowish green;

lateral sepals reflexed;

petals narrowly lanceolate-falcate, margins entire;

lip projecting to porrect, lanceolate to narrowly lance-rhombic, without basal thickening, 8–23 × 1–6 mm, margins entire;

spur slenderly conic, 11–27 mm;

rostellum lobes very wide-spreading, angular;

pollinaria nearly straight;

pollinia remaining enclosed in anther sacs;

viscidia suborbiculate;

ovary slender to rather stout, mostly 8–20 mm.

2n

= 42.

= 42.

Platanthera clavellata

Platanthera hookeri

Phenology Flowering summer (Jun–Aug). Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Sphagnum bogs, sphagnous seeps and meadows, wet sandy and peaty meadows, marshes, low woods, wet prairies, and roadsides Dry to mesic coniferous and deciduous forest
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft) mostly 0–500 m (mostly 0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; IA; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In common with Platanthera nivea and P. integra, the column of P. clavellata bears a series of lateral projections that are directed forward; the upper pair is elaborately adorned and may be glandular. It appears that this species is inappropriately placed in Platanthera. See note under 30. P. nivea

The broader leaves cited as distinguishing Platanthera clavellata var. ophioglossoides are more prevalent in the North, but occur throughout the range of the species. In some areas populations commonly display a complete range of leaf shape; this feature alone is of no taxonomic significance.

The unusual and infrequent hybrid Platanthera blephariglottis × P. clavellata is P. ×vossii Case.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 570. FNA vol. 26, p. 555.
Parent taxa Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Platanthera Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Orchideae > subtribe Orchidinae > Platanthera
Sibling taxa
P. aquilonis, P. blephariglottis, P. brevifolia, P. chapmanii, P. chorisiana, P. ciliaris, 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. 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
Synonyms Orchis clavellata, Habenaria clavellata, Habenaria clavellata var. ophioglossoides Habenaria hookeri, Habenaria hookeri var. abbreviata, P. hookeri var. abbreviata
Name authority (Michaux) Luer: Native Orchids Florida, 148. (1972) (Torrey ex A. Gray) Lindley: Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl., 286. (1835)
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