Tipularia discolor |
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crane-fly orchid, crippled cranefly |
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Habit | Plants 10–65 cm. |
Stems | scapose, glabrous, basally 1–2-sheathed. |
Leaves | persisting over winter; petioles 3–15 cm; blade purple abaxially, green or greenish purple adaxially, ovate, 5–10.5 × 2.5–7 cm. |
Inflorescences | 8–28 cm; floral bracts 0.2 mm. |
Flowers | green, pale greenish yellow, or greenish purple, (5–)10–55; sepals distinct and free, oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–8 × 1.5–2.8 mm; petals linear-oblong to oblong-elliptic to linear-oblanceolate, 4–7 × 1–1.8 mm; lip 5–8 × 2.5–3 mm, with 2 prominent basal lobes, spur 10–23 mm; column 2.5–4 mm. |
Capsules | 9–12 × 4–5 mm. |
Corms | 7–30(–50) mm diam. |
Tipularia discolor |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun (north)–Sep (south). |
Habitat | In humus-rich soil of deciduous woodlands, frequently in sandy, acid oak-pine woods of Southeast, often in depressions under sweet gum |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
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Discussion | Tipularia discolor is pollinated by noctuid moths, the pollinaria attaching to either the left or right compound eye depending on whether the column of a particular flower is slightly twisted to the left or to the right (W. P. Stoutamire 1978). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 624. |
Parent taxa | Orchidaceae > subfam. Epidendroideae > tribe Calypsoeae > Tipularia |
Synonyms | Orchis discolor, T. unifolia |
Name authority | (Pursh) Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 195. (1818) |
Web links |