Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid (Bruce Peninsula Orchids)

Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid

Platanthera psycodes

Summary ⁵

Platanthera psycodes, commonly called lesser purple fringed orchid or small purple-fringed orchid, is a species of orchid, genus Platanthera, occurring from eastern Canada (from Manitoba to Newfoundland) to the east-central and northeastern United States (Great Lakes Region, Appalachian Mountains, and New England). It is imperiled in Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

Description ⁶

Plants 14–101 cm. Leaves 2–5, wide-spreading, recurved to somewhat ascending, scattered along stem, gradually reduced to bracts distally; blade lanceolate, oblong-elliptic, or oblong-obovate, 5–22 × 1.5–7 cm. Spikes lax to very dense. Flowers resupinate, showy, lavender- to rose-purple, rarely white; lateral sepals reflexed to somewhat spreading; petals spatulate to broadly obovate or cuneate-oblong, margins dentate-lacerate to sparsely fringed; lip descending to somewhat porrect, deeply 3-lobed, without basal thickening, 5–13 × 5–17 mm, distal margins of lobes fringed, sometimes deeply, lateral lobes often reflexed or slightly elevated above middle lobe, broadly to narrowly cuneate, middle lobe sometimes reflexed, broadly cuneate-flabellate, often emarginate to 2-fid; spur slenderly cylindric to slightly clavate, 12–22 mm; rostellum lobes nearly parallel, directed downward, short, rounded; pollinaria nearly straight; pollinia remaining enclosed within anther sacs; viscidia suborbiculate to broadly elliptic; ovary slender to stout, 9–16 mm. 2n = 42.