Spiranthes praecox
| Grass leaved ladies' tresses | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Cranichideae |
| Genus: | Spiranthes |
| Species: | S. praecox
|
| Binomial name | |
| Spiranthes praecox (Walter) S. Watson
| |
| |
| Recorded occurrences, from GBIF | |
Spiranthes praecox, the grass leaved ladies' tresses (sometimes spelled grassleaf ladies'-tresses), green-vein ladies'-tresses or sometimes giant ladies' tresses is a terrestrial orchid endemic to the United States, growing on the eastern coastal plains and around the Gulf Coast.[1][2]
Description
[edit]Spiranthes praecox is a herbaceous species growing 20–75 cm high, with up to 7 long basal leaves. There are up to 40 white flowers arranged in a spiral around the stem. The lip of each flower has prominent, branched green colored veins. Bloom time is mainly from February to June (or even later at the northern range extent).[1][3]
Form Spiranthes praecox forma albolabia has pure white lips with yellowish instead of green veins.[3]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Spiranthes praecox is native to Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia.[4]
It grows in coastal planes in dry to moist prairies, meadows, pinelands, and bogs.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]Spiranthes praecox was first described by Thomas Walter in 1788 (as Limodorum praecox).[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Spiranthes praecox". North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOOC), Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ LeGrand, Harry. "Account for Grassleaf Ladies'-tresses". Vascular Plants of North Carolina. North Carolina Biodiversity Project and North Carolina State Parks. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ a b c Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). "Spiranthes praecox". Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ a b "Spiranthes praecox". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
Media related to Spiranthes praecox at Wikimedia Commons
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