Flora of North America species comparison

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Platanthera nivea

snowy orchid
Habit Plants 17–90 cm.
Leaves

1–3, ascending to spreading, abruptly or gradually reduced to bracts distally, often fugaceous and withered at anthesis;

blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 3–31 × 0.3–2 cm.
Spikes

dense.
Flowers

not resupinate, showy, white;

lateral sepals spreading;

petals linear-oblong to oblong or elliptic, falcate, basally somewhat dilated, margins entire;

lip reflexed ± at middle, linear-elliptic to linear-oblong, without basal thickening, 3–8 × 1–3 mm, margins entire;

spur slenderly cylindric, 10–18 mm;

rostellum lobes directed downward, very short, obscure, rounded;

pollinaria straight, pollinia remaining enclosed in anther sacs;

viscidia oblong to linear-oblong;

ovary slender, 4–12 mm.

Platanthera nivea
Phenology Flowering summer (May–Sep).
Habitat Moist pine barrens, pine savannas, meadows, wet sandy woods, bogs, and cypress swamps
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; NJ; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The column of Platanthera nivea is similar to that of P. clavellata and P. integra and unlike that of other Platanthera species. The columns of these three species bear two pairs of appendages. In P. nivea, on either side of the column and flanking the anther sacs, a cushionlike flap simulates a pollinium; below these structures, elongated slender processes parallel the basal margins of the lip, similar to the situation in Habenaria. Together with its non-resupinate flower and perhaps elongate-spheroidal tuberoids, these characteristics suggest that this species should not be included in Platanthera.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 570.
Parent taxa 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. integrilabia, P. lacera, P. leucophaea, P. limosa, P. macrophylla, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. peramoena, P. praeclara, P. psycodes, P. purpurascens, P. sparsiflora, P. stricta, P. tipuloides, P. zothecina
Synonyms Orchis nivea, Habenaria nivea
Name authority (Nuttall) Luer: Native Orchids Florida, 146. (1972)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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