Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich. 1817

Flower Closeup

Colony in situ

Photos by David Mcadoo ©

Fragrant Part shade to Cold LATESummer EARLYFall

Common Name The Nodding Spiranthes - The Nodding Ladies Tresses

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in eastern Canada and all of central and eastern America except penninsular Florida at elevations up to 1000 metersas a small sized, cold growing terrestrial to aquatic, pubescent with blunt haired orchid with 3 to 6, basal, grading to bracts above, green, linear-oblanceolate, relatively soft, leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on an erect, slender to stout, terminal, to 20" [50 cm] long, to 60 flowered inflorescence with a green, lanceolate, acuminate, shorter than the ovary floral bract and carrying fragrant flowers .

Synonyms Gyrostachys cernua (L.) Kuntze 1891; Gyrostachys constricta Small 1898; Ibidium cernuum (L.) Bouse 1905; Limodorum autumnale Walter 1788; Neottia cernua (L.) Sw. 1805; *Ophrys cernua L. 1763; Spiranthes annua Lesq. ex Brandeger & Coville 1888 publ. 1891; Spiranthes cernua var. ochroleuca Ames 1905; Spiranthes constricta (Small) K.Schum. 1898; Triorchis cernua (L.) Nieuwl. 1913;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Studies in the Family Orchidaceae Vol 1 Ames 1905 Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing good; AOS Bulletin Vol 33 No 5 1964 photo fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 drawing good; AOS Bulletin Vol 37 No 4 1968 photo fide; The Native Orchids of Florida Luer 1972 drawing/photos fide; The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Luer 1975 drawing/photos fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 6 1979 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 6 1981 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 5 1984 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 3 1986 photo fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; Schlechteriana Vol 4 No 4 1993; AOS Buletin Vol 71 No 5 2002 as S cernua fma odorata photo fide; The Wild Orchids of Florida Brown 2002; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #8 2011 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #6 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #3 2015 drawing fide;

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