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Plant of the Week
Slender Ladies' Tresses,
Green Pearl Twist
Latin: Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis
In the Victorian era, ladies and gentlemen spent a great deal of time and
energy getting to know nature up close and personal. This quaint trait has
largely disappeared from our society. Relatively few people know much about the
natural world in which we live.
A lawn here in Fayetteville is populated with Ladies’ Tresses Orchids. Every
fall, just as the flowers attain full bloom, the lawn is mowed to remove these
spiky "weeds" that suddenly spring from the ground in late summer. A proper
Victorian lady would have known her wildflowers and cherished her good fortune.
The Spiranthes orchids are not your typical orchid, and it is not surprising
that people don’t readily recognize them as such. They grow about 18-inches tall
on slender stems that have a peculiar twisted inflorescence on the top third of
the stem. The Latin name means "twisted flower," an apt description for the
group.
The white flowers are about a quarter of an inch long with five petal-like
tepals closely appressed to the slightly inflated lip that’s marked with green
inside. The lip is ruffled at the end. Open flowers first appear at the base of
the spike and open spirally up the stem as blooming progresses. Individual
plants are in flower for about two to three weeks, usually in late August or
early September.
The leaves appear in the spring in a basal whorl from the three fleshy roots
that attach to the subterranean crown. Leaves are 1-2 inches long and about half
as wide. At the time of flowering, the leaves are done for the year and wither
away.
This genus of terrestrial orchids is cosmopolitan, with over 200 species
described worldwide. Slender Ladies’ Tresses are one of the most common species
in the genus. They’re found throughout the southeastern states with scattered
stands as far north as southern Canada. They usually occur in dry, upland soils
with an acidic pH and are associated with open glades in the hickory-oak forest
or oak-pine forests.
Bumble bees are thought to be the main pollinators of the species. Of all the
native terrestrial orchids, this group seems to reproduce more freely by seed
than other species. It will migrate into disturbed sites and is sometimes seen
on roadsides.
A few specialist growers carry Spiranthes orchids in their catalogs,
but only S. cernua f. odorata ‘Chadd’s Ford’ can be considered
remotely common even in the specialty trade. This species is distributed more in
the upper Midwest and the East and differs by having stouter stems, somewhat
larger flowers and a prominent lip.
This cultivar also has a spicy sweet fragrance that is an added bonus. It was
rescued from a roadway construction site in Delaware and apparently spreads by
underground runners, making commercial propagation possible. It’s best used in a
slightly moist, highly organic soil that’s shaded during the hottest part of the
day. An area receiving morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
August 4, 2000
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