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

eastern prairie fringe orchid, eastern prairie white fringe bog-orchid, prairie white fringe orchid

Habit Plants 8–47 cm. Plants 32–112 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.

several to many, ascending, scattered along stem, imperceptibly reduced to bracts distally;

blade lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, usually to 20 × 4 cm.

Spikes

moderately dense.

lax to moderately dense.

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, showy, corolla white, calyx green to whitish green;

lateral sepals porrect;

petals obovate to rarely flabellate, apically lacerate;

lip descending to horizontally projecting, deeply 3-lobed, without basal thickening, 14–22 × 15–29 mm, distal margins of lobes deeply incised, fringed, lateral lobes flabellate, usually broad, overlapping middle lobe, middle lobe flabellate, sometimes very broadly, emarginate;

spur slenderly clavate, 28–47 mm;

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

pollinaria geniculate;

pollinia directed forward (column appearing hooded), remaining enclosed in anther sacs;

viscidia orbiculate;

ovary slender, mostly 15–30 mm.

2n

= 42.

= 42.

Platanthera clavellata

Platanthera leucophaea

Phenology Flowering summer (Jun–Aug). Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Sphagnum bogs, sphagnous seeps and meadows, wet sandy and peaty meadows, marshes, low woods, wet prairies, and roadsides Mesic to wet prairies, marshes, fens, lake shores, old fields
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft) 80–300 m (300–1000 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
IA; IL; IN; LA; ME; MI; MO; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; VA; WI; ON
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

A very rare hybrid with Platanthera psycodes, known only from Ontario, is P. ×reznicekii Catling, Brownell & G. Allen.

See the discussion under 22. Plantanthera praeclara.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 570. FNA vol. 26, p. 566.
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. hookeri, P. huronensis, P. hyperborea, P. integra, P. integrilabia, P. lacera, 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 Orchis leucophaea, Habenaria leucophaea
Name authority (Michaux) Luer: Native Orchids Florida, 148. (1972) (Nuttall) Lindley: Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl., 294. (1835)
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