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monkeyface, white fringeless orchid

bog candles, bog-candle, boreal bog-orchid, fragrant white bog orchid, fragrant white rein orchid, rein orchid, scent-bottle, white bog orchid, white northern bog-orchid, white orchid, white rein-orchid

Habit Plants 50–80 cm. Plants 11–130 cm or more.
Leaves

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.

few–several, ascending to recurved-spreading, scattered along stem, gradually reduced to bracts distally;

blade linear, linear-lanceolate, oblong, or oblanceolate, 3.5–32 × 0.3–7 cm.

Spikes

rather lax.

very lax to very dense.

Flowers

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.

resupinate, rather showy, conspicuous, white;

lateral sepals spreading to reflexed;

petals ovate- to linear-lance-falcate, margins entire;

lip descending or apex adhering to dorsal sepal and petal apices, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, without basal thickening, 4–11 × 2–5 mm, base slightly rounded-dilated to orbiculate, rarely rhombic, margins entire;

rostellum lobes parallel to slightly divergent, directed downward, very small, obscure, rounded;

pollinaria straight;

pollinia remaining enclosed in anther sacs;

ovary rather slender to stout, 5–15 mm.

2n

= 42.

Platanthera integrilabia

Platanthera dilatata

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 FNA
AL; GA; KY; MS; NC; SC; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

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.)

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Spur shorter than lip, clavate to slightly capitate.
var. albiflora
1. Spur nearly equaling to exceeding lip, slender to slightly clavate.
→ 2
2. Spur about equal to lip (mostly within 2 mm).
var. dilatata
2. Spur markedly exceeding lip (commonly 11/2 or more times length of lip).
var. leucostachys
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 568. FNA vol. 26, p. 556.
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. 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
P. aquilonis, P. blephariglottis, P. brevifolia, P. chapmanii, P. chorisiana, P. ciliaris, P. clavellata, P. convallariifolia, P. cristata, 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
Subordinate taxa
P. dilatata var. albiflora, P. dilatata var. dilatata, P. dilatata var. leucostachys
Synonyms Habenaria blephariglottis var. integrilabia, Habenaria correlliana Orchis dilatata, Habenaria dilatata, Limnorchis dilatata
Name authority (Correll) Luer: Native Orchids U.S. & Canada, 186. (1975) (Pursh) Lindley ex L. C. Beck: Bot. North. Middle States, 347. (1833)
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