Spiranthes or related genera?

This post was edited by saltcedar on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 10:55

saltcedar, that's what I suspect, too; but I wanted to see what y'all thought. Eastern white prairie orchid (Platanthera leucophaea) was my first suspicion, but it's not "supposed" to be here in MS. Non of my dichotomous keys specifically cover flora of Mississippi. Any other ideas?

Hopefully it's a native Spiranthes.

Looking further maybe Spiranthes (cernua) odorata?
Nevermind it's a Fall bloomer it seems.

This post was edited by saltcedar on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 11:31

saltcedar: brilliant!
It must be Spiranthes vernalis. Growth form and habitat are all a match. Thank you!

Now I can go report it to the wildlife refuge. I doubt they know it's there.

This one's a Spring bloomer. Whatcha think?

Here is a link that might be useful: Spiranthes praecox

Just to add to the confusion....

Here is a link that might be useful: Three Spiranthes Species and Their Hybrids

Hmmm, S. praecox is a possibility, but that species seems to be more coastal. The ones I saw yesterday were in Noxubee Co., MS. Their leaves were virtually nonexistent, too, like this: http://www.orchidspecies.com/spirvernalis.htm

And LOL! at the hybrids... Guess I need to go back and bring a dichotomous key of Spiranthes with me!

There are only four spring/early summer Spiranthes bloomers expected in Mississippi. S. praecox would be rare, and is only known in about 3 south-central counties. S. lucida is also rare, known in just a few of the extreme, north-central counties. S. vernalis and S. tuberosa may be in flower now, and are both fairly common across your state. S. vernalis is possible, because it blooms March through July here (south-central Arkansas). Our S. tuberosa blooms June through September, so would probably just be showing up in your area.

It does seem that your plant is too tall for S. tuberosa, which usually is 8 to 10 inches tall. It also seems that S. vernalis is unlikely, because that species usually has a single row of flowers spiraling around the stem, and the flowers are more spread out.

This is the time of year when some of the spring bloomers and some of the fall bloomers kind of merge. It will probably require a good key and a 10x lens to figure this one out.

Sorry for such a lengthy non-answer.

jekeesl, you will not hear me complain about your "lengthy non-answer"! The responses from you and saltcedar are exactly what I was looking for when I posted here: a healthy discussion about what this plant might be. So thank you to you both.

I did do some more investigating, reading, and thinking. Here's my train of thought thus far. Of the 4 Spiranthes that you mentioned, which should be blooming now and are found in MS, only S. vernalis has previously been reported in Noxubee County.
[ http://arcmapper.sc.egov.usda.gov/output/Counties_hyborea1v2068285225436.jpg ]

I think that S. lucida is out because of its rarity, and it's leaves and height are wrong for this specimen. S. praecox is a closer fit in appearane, but it's rarity in the state tends to preclude it more than S. vernalis. I think that S. tuberosa is just too short for this specimen.

I did read about the inflorescences of S. vernalis being quite variable, ranging from secund to loosely and even densely coiled, and flower shapes vary as well.
[ http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101968 ]

All this leads me to believe that it probably is S. vernalis, but I will have to go back and double check carefully (with a magnifying glass) to be sure!

thanks again,
Katie

Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis (Southern Slender Lady's-tresses) is another species that could be starting to flower there now. It is an early summer bloomer, has flowers densely arranged on the spike, and the lateral sepals do diverge a bit like those in your plant. There are even more possibilities shown on the linked BONAP map. If you're interested, this key (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=131021) covers all of the Spiranthes species in the US.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spiranthes Map - US Species