The plant can be as tall as 80 cm, though the plants we've seen have not been taller than 60 cm. It is usually densely flowered with as many as 50 flowers each 3-4 cm in size. Plants growing in shady conditions, however, may be much smaller with fewer, more widely spaced flowers.
The few leaves are pleated and the flowers are ordinarily green suffused with pink, but there are plain green, yellow and white forms as well, as well as a form with variegated leaves. The plant blooms in August in our area.
The plant was first found in North America near Syracuse, New York, in 1878. Since then it has spread to 31 states and six Canadian Provinces, according to the USDA. We found these plants along a railway line suggesting one possible way in which it has spread.
The blog entry which describes our finding and photographing this orchid can be found at: http://ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/08/larrabee-state-park.html.
8 comments:
It's lovely, even if it's a weed. We have several 'weed orchids' in Florida.
I agree, Prem. It is lovely, though "out of place."
I wondered what these were they grow wild thoughout my yard
I live in SE lower Michigan.
As you've noticed from the post, they have spread all across the country. Nice that you've identified them.
Great area. We were both born and raised in western Michigan - a beautiful state.
I believe I just found a little colony of these I live just outside Harbor Springs, MI which is 30 miles south of the bridge that goes to the U.P.
You probably did. We've seen them in different places in Michigan and they have naturalized all across the country.
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