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Louis.Hight/Epipactis gigantea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Epipactis
Species:
E. gigantea
Binomial name
Epipactis gigantea
Synonyms[1]
  • Amesia gigantea (Douglas ex Hook.) A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr.,
  • Helleborine gigantea (Douglas ex Hook.) Druce
  • Limodorum giganteum (Douglas ex Hook.) Kuntze, illegitimate
  • Peramium giganteum (Douglas ex Hook.) J.M.Coult.
  • Serapias gigantea (Douglas ex Hook.) A.A.Eaton
  • Arthrochilium giganteum (Douglas ex Hook.) Szlach.
  • Epipactis americana Lindl.
  • Epipactis pringlei Gand.
  • Cephalanthera kokanica Regel ex Nevski in V.L.Komarov (ed.)
  • Epipactis gigantea f. rubrifolia P.M.Br.

Epipactis gigantea is a large orchid[2] and the only member of the genus Epipactis that is native to North America.[3] It grows in a range from British Columbia to central Mexico and from the the west coast of the United States to as far east as Texas.[1] It is known by the common names chatterbox, false lady's slipper, giant helleborine, and stream orchid.[2]

Description

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Epipactis gigantea is a large, glabrous, rhizomatous orchid that grows between 20 centimeters and one meter in height.[2] Epipactis gigantea is seasonal, flowering between March and June,[2] and it relies on insects and mycorrhizal fungi for reproduction.[4]

Leaves

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It has alternating, oval or spear-shaped leaves that are largest near the base of the plant and become smaller towards the tip of the plant. They range in color from green[2] to deep red in populations found in California and Canada.[5][6] [7] A variety E. epipactis with burgundy foliage is found in California and has been called forma rubrifolia.[8][6]

Flowers

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Between 4 and 18 flowers are distributed over the upper third of the plant.[2] Flowers are sessile with gradient colored petals in various shades of pink[2] to red or burgundy[7] with green tips and dark veining on the petals.[2] The dorsal petal forms a labellum with yellow striations or other markings.[2] The apex of the labellum is cupped and vibrates when perturbed.[2][4]The three sepals are oval and spear-shaped, slightly cupped, and are mostly green with some pigmentation similar to that of the petals.[2] The sepals also have veining that is darker than the surrounding tissues.[2][6][7] Single flowers grow on bracts.[2]

Roots

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A few fibrous roots extend from rhizomes.[2]

Distribution

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Epipactis gigantea is native to North America and has been documented growing in British Columbia, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and northern Mexico.[2][4] Populations occur sporadically throughout this range near water.[4]

Habitat

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Epipactis gigantea in Pine Creek Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, Spring Mountains, southern Nevada (Stan Shebs)

Epipactis gigantea requires moisture[2][5] and is found in riparian habitats, along streams, seepage wetlands, and in hanging garden habitats.[2][7][4] E. gigantea grows at elevations from sea level to 2600 meters.[2] This orchid is frequently found growing in the shade of trees and other plants, but it can also grow in full sun in northern habitats.[2][7][4]

E. gigantea is often found in plant communities growing among sedge of the genus Carex, and there is evidence that thick sedge growth prevents herbivory of the orchid.[9]

Ecology

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Photographed at Regional Parks Botanic Garden located in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, CA (John Rusk)

Pollination

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E. gigantea attracts syrphid flies by releasing an aroma mimicking the honeydew of aphids from which the fly larvae feed.[2] The flies pollinate the orchids by moving between plants as they lay their eggs on the flowers.[2]

Mycorrhizal Associations

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After the seeds of E. gigantea are fertilized and dispersed, they require mycorrhizal fungi to obtain nutrients and germinate.[4] In addition to requiring mycorrhizal fungi to germinate, adult E. gigantea orchids have been found to associate with fungi of the genus Rhizoctonia which absorb carbon from the orchid and may contribute nitrogen.[3]

Cultivation

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Epipactis gigantea, is cultivated as an ornamental plant. The burgundy colored variety found in Sonoma County, California is referred to as Serpentine Night in the horticultural trade.[6]

Conservation

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Epipactis gigantea is a rare plant in many parts of its range such as in New Mexico,[2] but it is listed as apparently secure by Nature Serve as of 2016.[10] However, Nature Serve evaluated it as vulnerable, imperiled, and critically imperiled in several states in the United States.[10] Information about the status of E. gigantea is limited, and further evaluation of occurrences, habitat sensitivity, and genetic diversity would be helpful in determining its vulnerability.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Coleman, Ronald A. (2002). The Wild Orchids of Arizona and New Mexico. Ithacan New York, the United States of American and London, the United Kingdom: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press. pp. 70–74. ISBN 0-8014-3950-7.
  3. ^ a b Schiebold, Julienne M.-I.; Bidartondo, Martin I.; Karasch, Peter; Gravendeel, Barbara; Gebauer, Gerhard. "You are what you get from your fungi: nitrogen stable isotope patterns in Epipactis species". Annals of Botany. 119 (7): 1085–1095. doi:10.1093/aob/mcw265. ISSN 0305-7364. PMC 5604585. PMID 28334113.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rocchio, J., M. March, and D.G. Anderson (March 20, 2006). Epipactis gigantea Dougl. ex Hook.(stream orchid): A Technical Conservation Assessment (PDF). Fort Collins, Colorado. pp. 3–42.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
  5. ^ a b Coleman, Ronald A. (1995). The Wild Orchids of California. Comstock Pub. Associates. ISBN 978-0-8014-3012-1.
  6. ^ a b c d "Stream Orchid, Epipactis gigantea". calscape.org. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  7. ^ a b c d e Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2016-08-15). "Giant helleborine (Epipactis gigantea): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2015". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  8. ^ "SEINet Portal Network - Epipactis gigantea". swbiodiversity.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  9. ^ Levine, Jonathan M. "COMPLEX INTERACTIONS IN A STREAMSIDE PLANT COMMUNITY". Ecology. 81 (12): 3431–3444. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[3431:CIIASP]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0012-9658.
  10. ^ a b "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
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