Platanthera psycodes (Small purple fringed orchid)

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Platanthera psycodes (L.) Lindl.

Small purple fringed orchid

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Liliidae	Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order	Asparagales	A diverse group that includes asparagus
Family	Orchidaceae	Orchid family
Genus	Platanthera	From Greek for “wide” and “flower,” hence “wide or flat-anthered”
Species	psycodes	“Like a butterfly”

About plant names...

These enchanting orchids are North American natives. They favor wet habitats, sphagnum bogs, cedar or alder swamps, and boundaries of wet areas.

Plants: 8-39" (20-100 cm) tall, with a single, hairless stem.

Leaves: Oval (elliptic) at the base, or sometimes oval but wider at the end opposite the stem (obovate). Further up the stem, the leaves become much smaller and narrower. The leaves are alternate, have pointed tips, and parallel veins.

Flowers: A cone-shaped inflorescence up to 10" (25 cm) long tops the stem, containing 20-50 lovely flowers. Flowers are lilac-colored, sometimes more reddish, rarely white; about ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) around, with dainty fringes (fine teeth). Lesser purple fringed orchid has a bigger brother, greater purple fringed orchid, Platanthera grandiflora. It has larger flowers, with lip petals at least ½" (1.4 cm) wide. Flowers appear from July to August.

Fruits: Narrow, three-ribbed capsules on short stalks.

Online References:

The Orchids of Wisconsin

Minnesota Wildflowers

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

EFloras

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 36

7/19/2012 · Cow Lane, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 3½ × 5" (9.2 × 13 cm)

7/19/2012 · Cow Lane, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 9" (14 × 22 cm)

Habenaria fissa (Muhl. ex Willd.) R. Br. ex Spreng.

Orchis fissa Muhl. ex Willd.

Orchis incisa Muhl. ex Willd.

Platanthera fissa (Muhl. ex Willd.) Lindl.

Platanthera incisa (Muhl. ex Willd.) Lindl.

Blephariglotis psycodes (L.) Rydb.

Habenaria psycodes (L.) Spreng.

Platanthera psycodes description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 17 Nov 2020.

7/19/2012 · Cow Lane, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm)

7/19/2012 · Cow Lane, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 9 × 12" (23 × 29 cm)

7/19/2012 · Cow Lane, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm)

7/19/2012 · Cow Lane, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm)

Range:

About this map...