Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Slender Bog Orchis (Platanthera stricta)

In the Pacific Northwest this is by far the most common species and the least attractive.  Its plain green flowers are only about a cm in size and though abundant, as many as 50 on a spike, would pass unnoticed in most cases, even though the plants are around 100 cm tall.

We have seen this species with stems as thick as a man's finger and as slender as a heavy wire.  It is identified by its narrow lip and inflated spur and ranges across the Pacific Northwest as far south as California and as far east as Montana.




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