- You are here:
- Full Key
- Orchids and related plants
- Orchids
- Platanthera hookeri
Platanthera hookeri — Hooker's bog-orchid
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Hooker's bog-orchid is found in dry to moist forests and forest edges in all New England states, although it is rare throughout. A 25-year study of this species in Quebec, Canada, showed that it was in slow decline, with little or no recruitment of new individuals.
Habitat
Forest edges, forests
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Number of leaves on stem
- absent
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is simple in form
- Main color of lower petal
-
- green to brown
- yellow
- Nectar spur
- the flower has at least one nectar spur on it
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Lower petal characteristics
-
- the labellum has spurs on it
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal length
- 8–23 mm
-
Flowers
- Flower petal color
-
- green
- yellow
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Flowering date
-
- July
- June
- May
- Flowers per inflorescence
- 2–25
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
- Hairs on inflorescence axis
- the main stem of the inflorescence is hairless
- Inflorescence length
- 10–20 mm
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Labellum position
- the labellum is in the lower position on the flower
- Length of flower stalk
- 0 mm
- Length of narrowed base of lower petal
- 0 mm
- Length of peduncle
- 200–400 mm
- Lobes at base of lower petal
- 0 mm
- Lower petal characteristics
-
- the labellum has spurs on it
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal length
- 8–23 mm
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal strongly red-veined
- no
- Main color of lower petal
-
- green to brown
- yellow
- Nectar spur
- the flower has at least one nectar spur on it
- Nectar spur length
- 11–27 mm
- Number of stamens
- 1
- Orientation of side petals
- the lateral petals are angled steeply upwards
- Self-pollinating flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on this plant
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Shape of viscidium
- the viscidium is roughly circular
- Spots on lower petal
- no
- Spur opening membrane
- there is no membrane over the spur opening
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed capsule orientation
- the capsule points upwards or is angled outwards
-
Growth form
- Plant green or not
- the plant is chlorophyllous (it has green parts)
- Roots
- the rhizomes do not resemble coral
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Bract relative length
- the bract is shorter than the associated flower
- Features of leaves
- the leaf does not have any of the mentioned special features
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade edges
- the edges of the leaf blade have no teeth
- Leaf blade length
- 50–170 mm
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- the leaf blade is orbicular (roughly circular, as wide as long)
- Leaf blade tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
- the tip of the leaf blade is retuse (blunt or rounded, with a notch at the tip)
- Leaf blade width
- 40–130 mm
- Leaves during flowering
- there are leaves on the plant when it is flowering
- Number of bracts on stem
- 0–1
- Number of leaves on stem
- absent
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- forests
Wetland status
Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FAC)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- historical (S-rank: SH), special concern, extirpated (code: SC*)
- Massachusetts
- rare (uncertain) (S-rank: S2?)
- Rhode Island
- historical (S-rank: SH), state historical (code: SH)
- Vermont
- rare (S-rank: S2), threatened (code: T)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Platanthera macrophylla:
- scape with 1–6 bract-like leaves, ovary on a stipe 5–10 mm long, flowers white to green-white, and labellum downward oriented (vs. P. hookeri, with the scape with 0 very rarely 1 bract-like leaves, ovary sessile, flowers green to green-yellow, and labellum upcurved).
- Platanthera orbiculata:
- scape with 1–6 bract-like leaves, ovary on a stipe 5–10 mm long, flowers white to green-white, and labellum downward oriented (vs. P. hookeri, with the scape with 0 very rarely 1 bract-like leaves, ovary sessile, flowers green to green-yellow, and labellum upcurved).
Synonyms
- Habenaria hookeri Torr. ex Gray
- Lysias hookeriana (Torr. ex Gray) Rydb.
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
9. Platanthera hookeri (Torr. ex Gray) Lindl. N
Hooker’s bog-orchid. Habenaria hookeri Torr. ex Gray; Lysias hookeriana (Torr. ex Gray) Rydb. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Dry-mesic to mesic forests and forest edges.