Platanthera sparsiflora
canyon bog orchid
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: south-central Washington to Baja California, east to Colorado and New Mexico.

Habitat: Wet meadows, fens, and seeps.

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Self-pollination, flies

Description:
General:

Herbaceous perennials, 20-125 cm tall or greater, erect to slightly decumbent, somewhat succulent; stems not angled; roots fasciculate, slender and tuberous, fleshy.

Leaves:

Leaves few to several, ascending to recurved and spreading, dispersed along stem or gathered near base, becoming reduced to bracts distally either gradually or abruptly; blades sessile, folded slightly lengthwise, ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate-elliptic to linear, 6.5-30 cm long and 0.8-5 cm broad.

Flowers:

Inflorescence sparsely- or densely-flowered spike; flowers resupinate, pale yellowish green to pale green, not showy; lateral sepals bent sharply backwards or occasionally spreading; petals ovate-falcate to lance-falcate, margins entire; labellum bent downward, linear to oblong or linear-lanceolate, a thickened median basal ridge present or not, 4.5-11 mm long and 0.6-3 mm broad, margins entire; spur somewhat club-shaped to cylindric or attenuate toward an acute apex; rostellum lobes slightly to strongly spreading apart, extending forward, rounded-subangular to rounded, relatively prominent to minute and obscure; pollinaria 2, not curved; pollinia 2, remaining within anther sacs; viscidia free, orbiculate to oblong; stigma entire; ovary slender to stout, generally 5-14 mm.

Fruits :

Capsules, ellipsoid to cylindric.

Accepted Name:
Platanthera sparsiflora (S. Watson) Schltr.
Publication: Bull. Herb. Boissier. 7: 538. 1899.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Habenaria sparsiflora S. Watson [HC]
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Platanthera sparsiflora in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Platanthera sparsiflora checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Platanthera sparsiflora information.

E-Flora BC: Platanthera sparsiflora atlas page.

CalPhotos: Platanthera sparsiflora photos.

USDA Plants: Platanthera sparsiflora information.

7 photographs:
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