Platanthera lacera (Michx.) G. Don

Green fringed orchid, ragged orchid, green fringed ochid

This orchid, a native of eastern North America, is fond of acidic, moist soils—sandy, peaty, silty, or gravelly. The plants are pollinated by moths, attracted by a scent the orchids emit at night. Their greenish color and lacy flowers make them difficult to distinguish from their surroundings.

Plants: 6–31″ (14–80 cm) high, with round, light green terete stems.

Leaves: Alternate, elliptical, lanceolate to linear, or oblong in shape. There are one to five leaves along each stem, each 2–8″ (5–20 cm) long and ½–2″ (1.3–5 cm) wide. They become smaller further up the stem, and they are entire, i.e. not subdivided.

Flowers: A flowering stalk or raceme contains up to 60 flowers, each with a “lacerated” lower lip (the labellum), hence the named “fringed.” The flowers look delicate and lacy. They are white, greenish, or cream-colored, with lower petals ⅜–⅝″ (1–1.7 cm) long, and sepals ⅛–¼″ (4.5–7 mm) long. The back of each flower has a spur shaped like a club, ¼–⅞″ (8–23 mm) long. Flowers appear in summer and fall.

Fruits: Capsules are narrowly ellipsoid and about ¾″ (1.9 cm) long. They split open to release many tiny seeds which are distributed by the wind.

Habitats: Moist woodlands, sandy swamps, grassy marshes and fields, shrubby bogs, and ditches.

Online References:

References:

Older scientific or horticultural names

Platanthera lacera description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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