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northern slender ladies' tresses, northern slender lady's tresses, slender ladies'-tresses

Habit Plants 15–65 cm.
Roots

few–several, spreading to descending, mostly to 0.75 cm diam., slender to stout.

Leaves

, basal, spreading, obovate, 2–5 × 1–2 cm.

Spikes

secund to tightly spiraled, 8–10 flowers per cycle of spiral;

rachis glabrous to sparsely pubescent, trichomes capitate to clavate, glands obviously stalked.

Flowers

white;

sepals somewhat spreading, distinct to base, elliptic, 5 × 1 mm;

lateral sepals white throughout, apex acuminate;

petals lanceolate, slightly oblique, 5 × 1 mm;

lip white with green or yellowish green center, ovate to oblong, 5 × 2.5 mm, apex dilated, its margin crisped-crenate, pubescent;

veins obscure;

basal calli erect, short-pointed, mostly to 1 mm;

viscidium linear-lanceolate;

ovary mostly 3 mm.

Seeds

monoembryonic.

Spiranthes lacera

Distribution
from USDA
e North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Flowers laxly arranged on spike (ratio of spike length/flower number equal to or greater than 2.3); inflorescence capitate-pubescent; leaves usually persisting through anthesis.
var. lacera
1. Flowers densely arranged on spike (ratio of spike length/flower number less than 2.3); entire plant essentially glabrous; leaves usually absent at anthesis.
var. gracilis
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 536.
Parent taxa Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Cranichideae > subtribe Spiranthinae > Spiranthes
Sibling taxa
S. brevilabris, S. casei, S. cernua, S. delitescens, S. diluvialis, S. eatonii, S. floridana, S. infernalis, S. laciniata, S. longilabris, S. lucida, S. magnicamporum, S. ochroleuca, S. odorata, S. ovalis, S. parksii, S. porrifolia, S. praecox, S. romanzoffiana, S. torta, S. tuberosa, S. vernalis
Subordinate taxa
S. lacera var. gracilis, S. lacera var. lacera
Synonyms Neottia lacera
Name authority (Rafinesque) Rafinesque: Herb. Raf., 44. (1833)
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