Habenaria

Scientific name

Habenaria Willd.

Common names

water spider orchid

Family

Orchidaceae

Similar genera

Spiranthes

Native distribution

tropical and subtropical Americas

Species cultivated

Habenaria repens Nutt. is occasionally offered as a pond plant.

Adventive distribution

none

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious amphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
to emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
herb

Brief description

Small orchid. Stem erect, unbranched. Roots or tubers fleshy. Leaves arranged along stem or clustered at the base and gradually reduced distally; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear to lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
, ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
to ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, spreading to erect; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
to acuminateacuminate:
(adj) tapering gradually to a point and forming more or less concave sides
; base sheathing; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
parallel. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
, few to many-flowered racemeraceme:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranched inflorescence having pedicelled flowers on a usually elongated axis (may be cymose)
; bracts lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuminateacuminate:
(adj) tapering gradually to a point and forming more or less concave sides
, green, usually shorter than the flowers; flowers ascending or curved outwards, often fragrant at night. Sepals 3, free, green; dorsaldorsal:
(adj) (1) of the back of an organ or the side turned away from the axis (syn. abaxial) (compare ventral); (2) in thallose plants (e.g. liverworts); of the upper surface
sepal often forming a hood with petals; laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
sepals spreading or deflexeddeflexed:
(adj) bent abruptly downward
. Corollacorolla:
(n) the inner whorl(s) of the perianth; all the petals of a flower
segments 3, typically green and/or white; laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
petals 2-lobed nearly to base, posterior lobe erect, ± adherent to the dorsaldorsal:
(adj) (1) of the back of an organ or the side turned away from the axis (syn. abaxial) (compare ventral); (2) in thallose plants (e.g. liverworts); of the upper surface
sepal, often falcatefalcate:
(adj) shaped like a scythe or sickle
, anterior lobe curved upwards; labellumlabellum:
(n) in orchids, a central petal at the base of the flower, typically larger than the other petals and of a different shape
typically 3-lobed, less often entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
, spurred at base, middle lobe deflexeddeflexed:
(adj) bent abruptly downward
, side lobes sometimes divided, may be velvety papillosepapillose:
(adj) bearing papillae
or pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
.

Natural habitat

along or in shallow standing or slowly running water; margins of streams, rivers and lakes, marshes, bogs, swamps and seasonally flooded grasslands

Additional comments

A large genus with over 800 species, the majority of which are terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
in damp or wet sites. Habenaria contains a handful of semi-aquatic species; H. repens is truly aquatic.