Spiranthes magnicamporum

Spiranthes magnicamporum, commonly called the Great Plains lady's tresses,[1] is a species of orchid that is native to North America. It is primarily native in the Great Plains, but there are outlying populations in the east in areas of former natural grassland, such as the Black Belt prairies of the Southeast. It is found in both fens and wet and dry prairies, often in calcareous soil.[2]

Spiranthes magnicamporum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Spiranthes
Species:
S. magnicamporum
Binomial name
Spiranthes magnicamporum
Sheviak

Description edit

It is a perennial that produces a spiral of white flowers in the fall. It is closely related to the Spiranthes cernua complex, and it was not recognized as a separate species until the 1970s. S. magnicamporum can be distinguished by its much stronger scent, later flowering time, and lateral sepals that spread over the top of the flower.[3][4] The scent of the S. magnicamporum is comparable to the smell of coumarin.[5]

Distribution edit

The Lady's Tresses occurs mostly in the United States of America and part of Canada.[6][7][8]

Ecology edit

Interactions between Lady's Tresses and Its pollinating partners have only been explored in the Southern Plain Population.[9] The most common pollinators are the southern plain bumble bees, the sweat bees, eastern carpenter bees, two-spotted bumble bees.[9] Studies on Mycorrhizal associations for Lady's Tresses have not been conducted.

References edit

  1. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Spiranthes magnicamporum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  2. ^ Flora of North America
  3. ^ University of Michigan Herbarium
  4. ^ Chicago Wilderness Magazine
  5. ^ Luer, Carlyle A. (1975). The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Excluding Florida (1st ed.). Bronx, NY.: New York Botanical Garden. p. 201.
  6. ^ "Search". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  7. ^ Brunton, Daniel (January 2015). "Great Plains Ladies'-Tresses (Spiranthes Magnicamporum) in the Lower Great Lakes Region and a New Record for New York State". Canadian Field-Naturalist. 129 (2): 183–188.
  8. ^ Catling, Paul (January 1976). "Spiranthes Magnicamporum Sheviak, an Addition to the Orchids of Canada". Canadian Field-Naturalist. 90 (1): 467–470.
  9. ^ a b Barlow, Phillip (January 2023). "Insect Interactions of Spiranthes Magnicamporum (Orchidacea) in the Black Belt Prairie of Mississippi". Southeastern Naturalist. 22 (1): 28–35.