Spiranthes vernalis Engelm. & A.Gray 1845
Closer Still Photo and Plant courtesy of Danny Lentz Copyright ©
Plant in situ northern Florida
Closer View of flowers in situ northern Florida Photos by Ian Wilhite Copyright ©
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Common Name or Meaning The Spring-Blooming Spiranthes - The Spring Ladies Tresses Orchid
Flower Size .22 to .35" [6 to 9 mm]
Found in eastern and southern USA and south to Mexico and Guatemala as well as the Bahamas at elevations to 2000 meters as a small sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial orchid with basal then up the stem, usually ascending, linear to narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, often strongly keeled to semiterete leaves that blooms in the late winter and early spring on a terminal, slender to stout, pubescent above, 7 to 36" [17.5 to 90 cm] long, densely many flowered carrying usually fragrant flowers that spiral around the rachis .
Synonyms Gyrostachys vernalis (Engelm. & A.Gray) Kuntze 1891; Ibidium vernalis (Engelm. & A. Gray) House 1905; Triorchis vernalis (Engelm. & A.Gray) House 1920
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 1 1984 photo; AOS Bulletin vol 53 no 7 1984 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 3 1985 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 NO 3 1986 photo; Fairchild Tropical Garden Bulletin Vol 47 No 2 1992 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 7 2004 photo; Wild Orchids of The Southeastern US north of Pennisular Florida PM Brown 2004 photo/drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 no 1 2008 photo;
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