Flora of North America species comparison

fasciculate, both slender and tuberous, fleshy;

if tuberous, then lance-fusiform.

leafy or leafless, terete;

Leaves 1–several, strictly basal or gradually reduced to bracts toward inflorescence, conduplicate, ascending to spreading, bases sheathing stem.

2–5, wide-spreading, recurved to somewhat ascending, scattered along stem, gradually reduced to bracts distally;

blade lanceolate, oblong-elliptic, or oblong-obovate, 5–22 × 1.5–7 cm.

solitary, terminal, lax to dense spikes.

lax to very dense.

resupinate, showy, lavender- to rose-purple, rarely white;

lateral sepals reflexed to somewhat spreading;

petals spatulate to broadly obovate or cuneate-oblong, margins dentate-lacerate to sparsely fringed;

lip descending to somewhat porrect, deeply 3-lobed, without basal thickening, 5–13 × 5–17 mm, distal margins of lobes fringed, sometimes deeply, lateral lobes often reflexed or slightly elevated above middle lobe, broadly to narrowly cuneate, middle lobe sometimes reflexed, broadly cuneate-flabellate, often emarginate to 2-fid;

spur slenderly cylindric to slightly clavate, 12–22 mm;

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

pollinaria nearly straight;

pollinia remaining enclosed within anther sacs;

viscidia suborbiculate to broadly elliptic;

ovary slender to stout, 9–16 mm.

few to many, usually resupinate (not resupinate in P. nivea), sometimes showy;

petals entire to fringed or emarginate;

lip lobed, 3-partite, spurred at base, margins entire to fringed;

pollinaria 2;

pollinia 2;

viscidia free;

stigma entire.

capsules, ellipsoid to cylindric.

= 42.