Alaska Orchid
Piperia unalascensis
Summary 3
Piperia unalascensis is a species of orchid known by the common names slender-spire orchid, Alaska piperia and Alaska rein orchid. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska to the southwestern United States, as well as eastern sections of Canada and the Great Lakes. It can be found in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat, often in dry areas. This orchid grows erect to about 70 centimeters in maximum height. The basal leaves are...
Description 4
Plants 9–70 cm. Stems swollen to uniform diameter toward base, 0.7–6.1 mm diam. distal to leaves; bracts 1–8. Leaves prostrate; blade 5–16(–20) × 1.3–3.5 cm. Inflorescences usually sparsely flowered, 3–44 cm; rachis usually longer than peduncle; bracts 3–23 mm. Flowers ± translucent green, fragrance nocturnal but lingering during day, musky or soapy, sometimes honeylike; sepals ± translucent, 2–4.2 × 1–2.6 mm; dorsal sepal ovate to oblong; lateral sepals spreading to strongly recurved; petals usually projecting to erect, ± straight-sided, asymmetrically ovate to linear-lanceolate, 2–5.5 × 0.6–2 mm; lip ± deflexed, broadly ovate to lanceolate-elliptic, 2–5 × 1–3 mm, apex usually somewhat upcurved; spur horizontal to decurved, 2–5.5 mm, ± equal to lip; viscidia broadly elliptic-ovate, 0.15–0.5 × 0.1–0.3 mm; rostellum blunt. Capsules 3.5–10.5 mm. Seeds tan to cinnamon brown.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Dan and Raymond, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/11158528@N08/2690383819
- (c) Damon Tighe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Damon Tighe
- Adapted by bpff from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piperia_unalascensis
- (c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/5018986
