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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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Piperia unalascensis (Slender-spire orchid)
Smith, R.W.

Piperia unalascensis

Piperia unalascensis (Spreng.) Rydb.

Slender-spire Orchid, Alaska Rein Orchid

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

Synonym(s): Habenaria unalascensis, Platanthera cooperi, Platanthera unalascensis, Spiranthes unalascensis

USDA Symbol: PIUN3

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

One or few stems, leafy near base, with pale green, bilaterally symmetrical flowers in long, slender, open racemes.

The species name comes from Unalaska, an island in the Aleutians. A number of small northern orchids were formerly put in the inclusive genus Habenaria, which has been divided into several smaller genera, including Piperia.

 

From the Image Gallery

3 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 28 inches tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Green
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AK , CA , CO , ID , MI , MT , NM , NV , OR , SD , UT , WA , WY
Canada: AB , BC , NL , ON , QC
Native Distribution: Alaska south and east to Quebec, and south to Baja California, northern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, western South Dakota, and Minnesota; also near Great Lakes.
Native Habitat: Dry woods, gravelly streambanks, and open slopes.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FAC FACU FACU UPL FACU
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.

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-04-25
Research By: TWC Staff

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