Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich. 1817
Photos by David Mcadoo ©
Drawing by © Carl Luer
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EARLY
Common Name The Nodding Spiranthes - The Nodding Ladies Tresses
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in eastern Canada and all of central and eastern America except penninsular Florida at elevations up to 1000 metersas a small sized, cold growing terrestrial to aquatic, pubescent with blunt haired orchid with 3 to 6, basal, grading to bracts above, green, linear-oblanceolate, relatively soft, leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on an erect, slender to stout, terminal, to 20" [50 cm] long, to 60 flowered inflorescence with a green, lanceolate, acuminate, shorter than the ovary floral bract and carrying fragrant flowers .
Synonyms Gyrostachys cernua (L.) Kuntze 1891; Gyrostachys constricta Small 1898; Ibidium cernuum (L.) Bouse 1905; Limodorum autumnale Walter 1788; Neottia cernua (L.) Sw. 1805; *Ophrys cernua L. 1763; Spiranthes annua Lesq. ex Brandeger & Coville 1888 publ. 1891; Spiranthes cernua var. ochroleuca Ames 1905; Spiranthes constricta (Small) K.Schum. 1898; Spiranthes petiolaris Raf. 1833; Triorchis cernua (L.) Nieuwl. 1913;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Sp. Pl., ed. 2.: 946 L 1763 as Ophrys cernua
Fl. Carol.: 221 Walter 1788 as Limodorum autumnale
Neues J. Bot. 1(1): 52 Sw. 1805 as Neottia cernua
*De Orchid. Eur.: 37 Rich 1817
Herb. Raf.: 45 Raf 1833 as Spiranthes petiolaris
Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 664 Kuntze 1891 as Gyrostachys cernua
Rep. Geol. Surv. Arkansas 4: 222 Lesq. ex Branner & Coville 1888 publ. 1891 as Spiranthes annua
Just's Bot. Jahresber. 26(1): 339 K Schum. 1898 as Spiranthes constricta
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 609 Small 1898 as Gyrostachys constricta
Studies in the Family Orchidaceae Vol 1: 145 Ames 1905
Studies in the Family Orchidaceae 1: 145 Ames 1905 as Spiranthes cernua var. ochroleuca
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 32: 381 Bouse 1905 as Ibidium cernuum
Amer. Midl. Naturalist 3: 122 Raf. 1913 as Triorchis cernua
Die Orchideen: 113 Schlechter 1915;
Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing good;
Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. vol 16 No 12: 400 Correll 1947 as Spiranthes parksii Drawing fide
AOS Bulletin Vol 33 No 5 1964 photo fide;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 drawing good;
AOS Bulletin Vol 37 No 4 1968 photo fide;
The Native Orchids of Florida Luer 1972 drawing/photos fide;
The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Luer 1975 drawing/photos fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 6 1979 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 6 1981 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 5 1984 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 3 1986 photo fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; Schlechteriana Vol 4 No 4 1993; AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 5 2002 as S cernua fma odorata photo fide; The Wild Orchids of Florida Brown 2002; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #8 2011 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #6 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #3 2015 drawing fide;
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