Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich. var. incurva Jennings
Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich.
Common ladies’-tresses, nodding ladies’ tresses, nodding lady’s tresses
I think of orchids as relatively large, outrageously colorful, tropical plants of limitless variety. But these common, diminutive orchids (along with many others) prefer cooler climes. They are native to the United States.
Plants: Up to 1′ (40 cm) tall, though most of this height is the flower stalk.
Leaves: A few long, narrow leaves occur, mostly at the base of the plant; they are dull (not shiny) 4–8″ (10–20 cm) long and ⅛–¾″ (5–20 mm) wide.
Flowers: The raceme (flowerhead) is up to 4½″ (12 cm) high, roughly cone-shaped, on a single stem well above the leaves. Tiny white flowers about ⅜″ (1 cm) long spiral around the spike. Flowers are tubular in shape, yellow in the center, with small sharp-tipped petals. Flowers appear between August and November.
Fruits: Pods, containing small, windblown seeds.
Habitats: Moist, boggy, acidic soils in part shade.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 380
Ibidium cernuum (L.) House
Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich. var. incurva Jennings
Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich. var. incurva Jennings
9/18/2017 · Purgatory Falls, Mont Vernon, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 8″ (15 × 20 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 8″ (17 × 19 cm) 
9/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3½″ (11 × 9.4 cm) 
9/18/2017 · Purgatory Falls, Mont Vernon, New Hampshire · ≈ 3 × 5″ (8.4 × 12 cm) 
9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 2½″ (9.5 × 6.2 cm) 
10/3/2018 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts, United States 
9/25/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 6″ (13 × 16 cm) 
9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 4″ (8.2 × 9.9 cm) 
9/11/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 14 cm) 
9/18/2017 · Purgatory Falls, Mont Vernon, New Hampshire · ≈ 4 × 4″ (11 × 10 cm) 
9/11/2021 · By Priscilla Seimer 
9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 17 cm) 
9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 4″ (9.3 × 10 cm) 
9/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 2½ × 4″ (7 × 10 cm) 
9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 4½″ (7.9 × 12 cm) 
8/30/2021 · Woodward Point Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 4½″ (9.4 × 12 cm) 
9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 2½ × 4½″ (7.3 × 11 cm) 
9/14/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 4″ (7.9 × 11 cm) 
9/4/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Area, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm) 
9/11/2017 · Mt. Watatic, access road, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Orchidaceae | Orchid family |
| Genus | Spiranthes | From the Greek speira, “spiral,” and anthos, “flower,” referring to the coiled or spiral character of the inflorescence, and hence the common name “ladies tresses” |
| Species | cernua | Latin for “nodding” |
Spiranthes cernua description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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