Spiranthes ochroleuca |
Spiranthes magnicamporum |
|
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yellow ladies'-tresses, yellow nodding ladies'-tresses, yellow nodding lady's tresses |
Great Plains ladies'-tresses, Great Plains lady's tresses |
|
Habit | Plants 10–55 cm. | Plants 7–60 cm. |
Roots | few, horizontally spreading, slender, mostly to 0.4 cm diam. |
few, descending, tuberous, mostly to 0.8 cm diam. |
Leaves | persisting through anthesis, basal, sometimes on basal portion of stem, spreading, linear-oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, to 21 × 2 cm. |
fugaceous or rarely persisting to anthesis, basal, ascending, linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, to 16 × 1.5 cm. |
Spikes | rather loosely to very tightly spiraled, 3–4 flowers per cycle of spiral, occasionally 5 or more in very loose spiral; rachis moderately pubescent, some trichomes capitate, glands obviously stalked. |
usually very tightly spiraled, 3–4 flowers per cycle of spiral; rachis moderately pubescent, some trichomes capitate, glands obviously stalked (longest trichomes 0.2–0.52 mm). |
Flowers | ochroleucous, ivory, creamy, yellowish, or greenish white, ascending, urceolate to somewhat gaping, claw of lip at pronounced (20–60°) angle to lamina, base cuneate, appearing strongly inflated; sepals distinct to base, 6–14 mm; lateral sepals appressed to petals and lip, straight, separated from dorsal sepal by mostly 0.7–1 mm; petals linear to linear-oblong, 6–13 mm, apex acute to obtuse; lip often more yellow centrally, oblong to ovate, 7–12 × 4–7 mm, margins crenulate, glabrous; veins several, branches parallel; basal calli incurved, prominent, very rarely conic, 1–2 mm; viscidia linear; ovary 3–7 mm. |
abruptly nodding from base, white to ivory, gaping, lip not strongly curving from claw, not urceolate; sepals distinct to base, 5–14 mm; lateral sepals wide-spreading, commonly ascending above flower; petals linear to lance-oblong, 4.9–13 mm, apex acute to obtuse; lip commonly yellow centrally, ovate to oblong, 4.9–12 × 3.3–7 mm, margins crenulate, glabrous; veins several, branches parallel; basal calli short-conic, mostly to 1 mm; viscidia linear-lanceolate; ovary 4–10 mm. |
Seeds | monoembryonic. |
monoembryonic. |
2n | = 30. |
= 30. |
Spiranthes ochroleuca |
Spiranthes magnicamporum |
|
Phenology | Flowering Aug–Nov. | Flowering Aug–Nov. |
Habitat | Dry to mesic open woodland, thickets, meadows, barrens, ledges, outcrops, banks and roadsides, old fields | Dry to wet prairies and fens |
Elevation | 0–1700 m (0–5600 ft) | 0–1900 m (0–6200 ft) |
Distribution |
CT; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WV; NB; NS; ON; PE
|
AL; AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MI; MN; MO; MS; ND; NE; NM; OH; OK; PA; SD; TX; VA; WI; MB; ON
|
Discussion | While leaves of Spiranthes ochroleuca are usually present at anthesis, in prairie populations they are commonly absent. Spiranthes ×steigeri was described as a hybrid of S. cernua and S. romanzoffiana, but additional study (P. M. Catling 1984) has shown the plants to be referable to S. ochroleuca. See notes on gene flow and apomixis under 14. Spiranthes cernua. Hybrids of Spiranthes ochroleuca with S. casei are known as S. ×borealis P. M. Brown. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Leaves typically senesce some weeks before anthesis, usually before the inflorescence appears. Occasionally at the northern and western range limits of the species, however, especially in wetter habitats, they may persist into anthesis. See notes on gene flow and apomixis under 14. Spiranthes cernua. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 539. | FNA vol. 26, p. 538. |
Parent taxa | Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Cranichideae > subtribe Spiranthinae > Spiranthes | Orchidaceae > subfam. Orchidoideae > tribe Cranichideae > subtribe Spiranthinae > Spiranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Gyrostachys ochroleuca, S. cernua var. ochroleuca, S. ×steigeri | |
Name authority | (Rydberg) Rydberg: Fl. Plains N. Amer., 241. (1932) | Sheviak: Bot. Mus. Leafl. 23: 287, plate 22. (1973) |
Web links |