Platanthera stricta
A North American orchid native to western North America that grows in wet meadows, tundra, marshes, fens, and related moist habitats, with green, mostly scentless flowers on lax to dense spikes, leaves abruptly diverging from the stem, an erect stem up to about 80 cm tall, and club-shaped inflated spurs blooming June–August.
Common Names
Slender Bog Orchid, Modoc Bog Orchid
Summary
The slender bog orchid is a perennial herb native to western North America, growing in wetlands, seeps, along streams, and moist meadows at elevations of 1000–2300 m. It forms slender erect stems with basal leaves up to 11 cm long and an inflorescence that is a slender, open spike 20–70 cm long bearing green flowers with a club-shaped spur.
It occurs across a wide western range from Alaska and Yukon down to Utah and northern California, and globally is ranked G5 with regional variation (California 4.2). Flowering occurs in late spring through summer, and flowers are green to yellowish-green; pollination involves a diverse range of insects.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
0.5-3.5 feet
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist to wet, non-calcareous soils
Soil Drainage
Moist to wet soils
Bloom Color
Green to yellowish green; sometimes tinged red or purple
Bloom Time
Spring through Fall
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green, Purple, Red
Growth Rate
Not specified
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Propagation Methods
No data available
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, moths, flies, and mosquitoes
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Lindl.
- Publication
- Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. : 288 (1835)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Platanthera
Synonyms
Limnorchis gracilis Limnorchis saccata Limnorchis stricta Limnorchis viridiflora Orchis dolichorhiza Platanthera dilatata var. gracilis Platanthera dolichorrhiza Platanthera gracilis Platanthera gracilis Platanthera hyperborea var. gracilis Platanthera hyperborea var. viridiflora Platanthera saccata Habenaria convallariifolia var. dilatatoides Habenaria saccata var. gracilis Platanthera dilatata var. viridiflora Platanthera hyperborea var. dilatatoides Platanthera stricta var. gracilis Habenaria borealis var. viridiflora Habenaria septentrionalis Habenaria neomexicana Habenaria saccata Platanthera hyperborea var. viridiflora Habenaria gracilis Habenaria stricta