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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Platanthera blephariglottis (White fringed orchid)
Cressler, Alan

Platanthera blephariglottis

Platanthera blephariglottis (Willd.) Lindl.

White Fringed Orchid

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: PLBL

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)

A leafy stalk topped by an elongated, dense or sparse cluster of pure white flowers with a deeply fringed lip petal.

The appropriate species name derives from Greek and means “fringe-tongued.” Other white Platanthera species include Small Woodland Orchid (P. clavellata), found throughout eastern North America, with a short blunt lip petal and a solitary clasping leaf on the flower stalk; Round-leaved Orchid (P. orbiculata), with greenish-white flowers and two roundish, basal leaves, found in Canada and the northern United States and in the mountains of the South; Prairie White Fringed Orchid (P. leucophaea), with a 3-parted, deeply fringed lip petal, found on wet prairies of the Midwest; and Snowy Orchid (P. nivea), which has an unfringed lip petal.

 

From the Image Gallery

19 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 3-1/2 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AL , CT , DE , FL , GA , IL , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , TX , VA , VT
Canada: NB , NL , NS , PE
Native Distribution: Ontario east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and west to Texas; also in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois.
Native Habitat: Wet meadows, marshes, and bogs.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: OBL OBL OBL OBL
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 35 - Go Orchids (2019) North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC)
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Platanthera blephariglottis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Platanthera blephariglottis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Platanthera blephariglottis

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-12-06
Research By: TWC Staff

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