Platanthera nivea (Nutt.) Luer 1972
Photos by Jim Fowler and his P-Base Orchid North American Orchid Website
Drawing by Blanche Ames and Native Orchids of North America: 90 Correll 1950
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Common Name The Snowy Platanthera
Flower Size 3/8" [1 cm]
Found in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Viginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas growing in swamps, pine barrens and wet grasslands as a medium sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with 2 to 3, green, lanceolate, keeled, conduplicate, basally clasping leaves grading into bracts above that blooms in the late spring through early fall on a terminal, erect, 8 to 20" [20 to 50 cm] long, many flowered, racemose, cylindric inflorescence with green, lanceolate, slightly longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying very fragrant, non-resupinate flowers.
"This is the only Habenaria in our region which has the lip uppermost in the flower." Correll 1950
Synonyms Gymnadenia conica Lindl. 1835; Habenaria nivea [Nutt.]Lindley 1826; Gymnadenia nivea [Nutt.] Lindley 1835; Gymnadeniopsis nivea [Nutt.] Rybd. 1901; *Orchis nivea Nutt. 1818; Peristylus niveus (Nutt.) Kraenzl. 1898;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 188 Nutt. 1818 as Orchis nivea
Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 3: 689 Spreng. 1826 as Habenaria nivea
Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 280 Lindley 1835 as Gymnadenia nivea;
Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 280 Lindley 1835 as Gymnadenia conica
Orchid. Gen. Sp. 1: 520 Kraenzlin 1898 as Peristylus niveus
Man. Fl. N. States: 293 Rybd. 1901 as Gymnadeniopsis nivea;
Studies in the Family Orchidaceae Vol 4: 52 Ames 1910 as Habenaria nivea;
Native Orchids of North America: 89 Correll 1950 as Habenaria nivea
Native Orchids of North America: 90 Correll 1950 as Habenaria nivea drawing fide;
Drawings of Florida Orchids Blanche Ames 1959 as Habenaris nivea Drawing fide;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Habenaria nivea drawing ok;
Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 4 193 to 256 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1971 as Gymnadeniopsis nivea;
*The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Luer 1975 drawing/photos fide;
The Native Orchids of Florida Luer 1972 drawing/photos fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 6 1981 photo ok ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 11 2004 photo;
AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 1 2006 drawing as Habenaria nivea fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #7 2011 photo fide;
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