Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Asparagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Spiranthes ochroleuca
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Spiranthes from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spiranthes ochroleuca
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Spiranthes ochroleuca
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)
Spiranthes ochroleuca
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)
Spiranthes cernua var. ochroleuca
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 049-12-002a?:
Spiranthes cernua FAMILY Orchidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ibidium ochroleucum
COMMON NAME:
Yellow Ladies'-tresses, Yellow Nodding Ladies'-tresses
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Jim Fowler jafsocholeuca_group
September ME
These flowers are usually more yellowish than the bright white S. cernua, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History (Fowler, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm130927_635
September Jackson County NC
The bloom stem is about 10-15" tall and is usually tightly coiled, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History (Fowler, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm130927_643
September Jackson County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm130927_650
September Jackson County NC
The 3-5 slender, acuminate basal leaves are present at blooming, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History (Fowler, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Spiranthes ochroleuca
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spiranthes ochroleuca
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Spiranthes ochroleuca
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Spiranthes ochroleuca
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)
Spiranthes cernua var. ochroleuca
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 049-12-002a?:
Spiranthes cernua
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ibidium ochroleucum
2154
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Meadows and pastures at moderate to high elevations, up to at least 1500m in elevation, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly basal
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Yellowish
Bilaterally symmetrical
3 sepals, two lateral and one dorsal
3 petals, the two lateral similar and a third (the lip) enlarged
stamens and pistil fused together into a column
Inferior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall?
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History (Fowler, 2005) p192
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p405
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".