Platanthera sparsiflora (S.Watson) Schltr. 1899
Photo by Jim Fowler and his P-Base Orchid North American Orchid Website
Drawing by Gordon W Dillon
LATE
and 
Common Name or Meaning The Few Flowered Platanthera - The Few Flowered Rein Orchis
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Oregon, California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Northern Mexico in open wet meadows, roadside ditches, seeps, fens, bogs and river gravels at elevations of 100 to 3350 meters as a medium to large sized, cold growing terrestrial orchid with 4 to 10 cauline, oblong to linear-lanceolate leaves that gradually reduce to bracts towards the inflorescence that blooms in the late spring and summer on a terminal, erect, loose, laxly 20 to 100 flowered inflorescence.
Synonyms Habenaria aggregata Howell 1902; Habenaria leucostachys var. viridis Jeps. 1921; *Habenaria sparsiflora S.Watson 1877; Habenaria sparsiflora var. laxiflora (Rydb.) Correll 1943; Habenaria thurberi var. grayi S.Watson 1868; Limnorchis ensifolia Rydb. 1901; Limnorchis laxiflora Rydb. 1901; Limnorchis sparsiflora (S.Watson) Rydb. 1901; Platanthera sparsiflora var. ensifolia (Rydb.) Luer 1975
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 389 S Watson 1868 as Habenaria thurberi var. grayi
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 276 S Watson 1877 as Habenaria sparsifolia
* Bull. Herb. Boissier 7: 538 Schlechter 1899
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 630 Rybd 1901 as Limnorchis laxiflora drawing fide
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 631 Rybd. 1901 as Limnorchis sparsiflora drawing fide
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 629 Rybd. 1901 as Limnorchis ensifolia
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 629 Rybd. 1901 as Limnorchis ensifolia drawing fide
Fl. N.W. Amer. 1: 628 Howell 1902 as Habenaria aggregata
Studies in the Family Orchidaceae Vol 4: 102 Ames 1910 as Habenaria sparsifolia
Studies in the Family Orchidaceae Vol 4: 102 pl 61 Ames 1910 as Habenaria sparsifolia drawing fide;
Fl. Calif. 1: 331 Jeps 1921 as Habenaria leucostachys var. viridis
Leafl. W. Bot. 3: 245 Correll 1943 as Habenaria sparsiflora var. laxiflora
Native Orchids of North America: 106 Correll 1950 as Habenaria sparsiflora
Native Orchids of North America: 107 Correll 1950 as Habenaria sparsifloradrawing fide;
Native Orchids of North America: 107 Correll 1950 as Habenaria sparsiflora var breviflora drawing fide;
Native Orchids of North America: 107 Correll 1950 as Habenaria sparsiflora var laxiflora drawing fide;
Orchids of Guatemala: 46 Ames & Correl 1952;
AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 5 1961 photo as Habenaria sparsifolia var laxiflora;
The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Luer 1975 drawing/photos fide;
The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Luer 1975 as P sparsiflora var brevifolia drawing/photos fide;
The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Luer 1975 as P sparsiflora var ensifolia drawing/photos fide;
Wild Orchids of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies P M Brown 2006;
Orchid Digest Vol 74 #2 2010 photo ok?;
AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 3 2017 photo fide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
