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• Spiranthes ochroleuca

Spiranthes ochroleuca — yellow ladies'-tresses

Facts

Yellow ladies'-tresses inhabits open, dry to wet sites of various kinds, and it is found throughout New England. It could most easily be confused with nodding ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes cernua).

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), grassland, meadows and fields, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands), woodlands

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Flower petal color

  • green
  • white
  • yellow

  Flower symmetry

  there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)

  Flowering date

  • August
  • October
  • September

  Form of lower petal

  the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape

  Hairs on flower stalk

  NA

  Hairs on inflorescence axis

  at least some of the hairs on the main stem of the inflorescence have glands

  Inflorescence length

  75–120 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

  0.8–1.5 mm

  Lobes at base of lower petal

  0 mm

  Lower petal characteristics

  the labellum is simple in form

  Lower petal length

  7–12 mm

  Lower petal outline

  the labellum is simple in form

  Lower petal strongly red-veined

  no

  Main color of lower petal

  • green to brown
  • white
  • yellow

  Nectar spur

  there are no nectar spurs on the flower

  Nectar spur length

  0 mm

  Number of stamens

  1

  Orientation of side petals

  • the lateral petals are angled steeply upwards
  • the lateral petals slant somewhat downward

  Self-pollinating flowers

  there are no cleistogamous flowers on this plant

  Sepal length

  6–14 mm

  Sepals fused only to sepals

  the sepals are separate from one another

  Shape of viscidium

  the viscidium is long and narrow

  Spots on lower petal

  no

  Spur opening membrane

  NA

  Spur opening shape

  NA

• 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

  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

  • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
  • 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

  50–210 mm

  Leaf blade shape

  • the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
  • the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
  • the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)

  Leaf blade tip

  the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)

  Leaf blade width

  Up to 20 mm

  Leaves during flowering

  there are leaves on the plant when it is flowering

• Place

  Habitat

  • terrestrial
  • wetlands

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • edges of wetlands
  • grasslands
  • man-made or disturbed habitats
  • meadows or fields
  • swamps
  • woodlands

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae