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lesser purple fringe bog-orchid, lesser purple fringe orchid, small purple-fringe orchid

canyon bog orchid, needle-spur green orchid, slender bog-orchid, slender rein orchid

Habit Plants 14–101 cm. Plants 18–100 cm.
Leaves

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.

few–several, abruptly diverging or sometimes ascending, scattered along stem;

blade oblong to ovate or rarely linear-lanceolate, 3–32 × (0.6–)1–4.5 cm.

Spikes

lax to very dense.

very lax to dense.

Flowers

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.

resupinate, not showy, green to yellowish green;

lateral sepals spreading to reflexed;

petals ovate- to lance-falcate, margins entire;

lip descending to somewhat reflexed or projecting, linear to lanceolate, without basal thickening, 3–9 × less than 1–3 mm;

spur strongly clavate, capitate-inflated, or scrotiform, 2–6 mm, apex obtuse;

rostellum lobes approximately parallel to convergent, directed downward, very small, rounded, obscure;

pollinaria straight;

pollinia remaining enclosed in anther sacs;

viscidia orbiculate;

ovary rather slender to stout, mostly 5–10 mm.

2n

= 42.

= 42.

Platanthera psycodes

Platanthera stricta

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep). Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Alluvial and swamp forests, stream banks, riparian meadows, moist and seeping slopes, marshes, roadside banks, ditches, old fields Wet meadows, tundra, marshes, fens, stream banks, shores, ditches, seeping slopes, roadsides
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft) 0–2300 m (0–7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Platanthera psycodes is known to hybridize with P. lacera in the northeasternmost portion of its range, where the species bloom simultaneously. Such hybrids are known as P. ×andrewsii (M. White) Luer; see the discussion under P. lacera. A few specimens also suggest very rare hybridization with P. grandiflora.

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

Flowers of Platanthera stricta are evidently mostly scentless or only faintly spicy.

The plants here treated as Platanthera stricta have in common more or less saccate spurs, orbiculate viscidia, and leaves that abruptly diverge from the stem, often at angles approaching 90º (this feature is sometimes obscured in sheltered, deeply shaded habitats). The plants described as P. gracilis Lindley are florally typical of the slender-spurred extreme of P. stricta; they differ only in peculiarly reduced, slenderly oblong but nonetheless abruptly wide-spreading leaves. The plants figured by C. A. Luer (1975) as P. hyperborea var. gracilis (Lindley) Luer are not referable to P. stricta but rather are apparently hybrids of P. stricta and P. dilatata. Critical study of the description of Habenaria borealis var. viridiflora Chamisso and an evident isotype show this plant to be referable to P. stricta, although the name has been applied to P. huronensis in the Northwest and to P. convallariifolia in Japan. See also the discussion under 9. P. convallariifolia.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 565. FNA vol. 26, p. 560.
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. integrilabia, P. lacera, P. leucophaea, P. limosa, P. macrophylla, P. nivea, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. peramoena, P. praeclara, 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. leucophaea, P. limosa, P. macrophylla, P. nivea, P. obtusata, P. orbiculata, P. peramoena, P. praeclara, P. psycodes, P. purpurascens, P. sparsiflora, P. tipuloides, P. zothecina
Synonyms Orchis psycodes, Habenaria psycodes Habenaria borealis var. viridiflora, Habenaria saccata, Limnorchis stricta, P. gracilis, P. hyperborea var. viridiflora, P. hyperborea var. viridiflora, P. saccata
Name authority (Linnaeus) Lindley: Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl., 294. (1835) Lindley: Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl., 288. (1835)
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