Spiranthes

Scientific name

Spiranthes Rich.

Common names

lady's-tresses, ladies tresses

Family

Orchidaceae

Similar genera

Habenaria

Native distribution

temperate temperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
and tropical regions of the World; maximum diversity in North America

Species cultivated

Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich.

S. graminea Lindl.

S. odorata (Nutt.) Lindl.

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious amphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
herbs, some tolerant of short periods submerged

Brief description

Medium to large orchid. Roots slender to tuberously thickened, fleshy, spreading to descending. Stem erect, slender. Leaves basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
, occasionally attached to proximal portion of stem, alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
, ascending to spreading; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
to petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear, ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
to oblanceolateoblanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped, with attachment at or near the narrow end. (compare lanceolate)
; 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
or acuminateacuminate:
(adj) tapering gradually to a point and forming more or less concave sides
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an erect spikespike:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranching inflorescence of sessile flowers or flower clusters on a usually elongated axis
, loosely to tightly spiraled; rachisrachis:
(n) the main axis of, e.g., a compound leaf or an inflorescence
glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
to variously pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
; bracteoles ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
to 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
. Flowers small, mostly ascending, tubulartubular:
(adj) (of a corolla, perianth, calyx tube or other structure) (1) tube-shaped; cylindrical: narrow and elongate with more or less straight sides; (2) having segments fused into a tube (of any shape)
, white to cream, yellowish, or pink, ± fragrant; sepals free or connateconnate:
(adj) of plant parts congenitally united into a single structure
, ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, linear to oblanceolateoblanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped, with attachment at or near the narrow end. (compare lanceolate)
, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
to pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
outside, 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 fused with petals and forming a hood, laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
sepals ± spreading or appressedappressed:
(adj) pressed closely to or lying flat against
to petals; petals linear to ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
, 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 obtuseobtuse:
(adj) with a blunt or rounded apex and sides coming together at an angle of more than 90 degrees
, ± spreading; spurspur:
(n) a usually slender, hollow projection formed by the fused bases of the lower petals in some flowers notably of the genus <em>Utricularia</em>; a sac-like projection or extension of a petal or sepal; a short, fruit-bearing stalk
absent. Labellumlabellum:
(n) in orchids, a central petal at the base of the flower, typically larger than the other petals and of a different shape
lanceolate to ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
, or ± rectangular, middle often constricted; entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
or shallowly 3-lobed; base typically with calli; 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 obtuseobtuse:
(adj) with a blunt or rounded apex and sides coming together at an angle of more than 90 degrees
, ± recurvedrecurved:
(adj) curved downward or backward
; apicalapical:
(adj) of the apex
margin typically crenulate or laceratelacerate:
(adj) torn; irregularly cut or slashed
; glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
or distally granular; often yellow to orange centrally. Fused stamens and carpels erect, fleshy; polliniapollinia:
(n) coherent mass of pollen grains, typically transferred as a unit during pollination (seen in Orchidaceae)
2, yellow, viscidia usually linear to linear-lanceolate.

Natural habitat

in and along continuously or intermittently inundated habitats; fens, marshes, swamps, bogs, wet grasslands and meadows, stream banks

Additional comments

Spiranthes contains approximately 40 species, most of which are amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
. It is one of the most widely distributed genera of orchids. Spiranthes odorata is often offered as an aquarium plant, where it thrives better if emersedemersed:
see emergent
in wet ground and not fully submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
.