Epipactis gigantea

Epipactis gigantea is our only native Epipactis, though Epipactis helleborine is also quite common in our area, especially at lower elevations.  That species, however,  is a European import and not a native.  Epipactis gigantea is known both as the Stream Orchid for its preference for wet areas and as the Chatterbox for its moveable lip.  By any name it is a beautiful species with large flowers and attractive plants.  The plants have pleated leaves and generally grow to 30-45 cm, though they can be taller.  The flowers, as many as several dozen to a spike are 3 cm across and beautifully colored.  We know several locations where these can be found but found a new location this summer with hundreds of plants, a great find since the species is quite rare and protected in Washington.

July 24

(Olympic Peninsula)

Platanthera aquilonis

Platanthera aquilonis, the Northern Green Bog Orchis, is another of the hard-to-identify green Platantheras.  Indeed, because the Platantheras seem to interbreed quite freely it is sometimes impossible to identify them with certainly.  The distinguishing characteristics of this species are a yellowish lip, a spur that is shorter than the lip and curved well forward, and anther sacs that are low in the flower and form a kind of triangular shape.  The plant can be quite small to 60 cm tall and has numerous flowers, as many as fifty, more or less crowded on the flower spike.  The leaves are near the ground and up to 20 cm.  We do not see this species as frequently as some of the other green Platantheras and seldom in Washington, but have found it in a number of different locations in the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta.

July 8

(Canadian Rockies)

July 10

(Canadian Rockies)

Platanthera orbiculata

We have eight species of Platanthera in our area (there are a couple more in Alaska).  Many of them are rather unimpressive, but this species is an exception.  There can be no argument that Platanthera orbiculata, the Pad-leaved Orchis is impressive and the most beautiful of all our Platantheras.  Even the plant is impressive, with huge 20-25 cm shiny plate-like leaves lying close to the ground, a flower spike as tall as 75 cm, and intricate 5 cm greenish-white flowers with a long spur.

We never see a lot of this species, usually only scattered plants growing in their favorite habitat, dry open woodlands with a lot of moss and few other competing plants.  It grows in Washington, but we have seen it most often in the Canadian Rockies where we saw it this past summer.  We were hiking a part of the Berg Lake trail and found it in three different locations, blooming just as the Lady's Slippers were finishing their bloom season and earlier than the Lesser Rattlesnake Orchis.

July 10

(Canadian Rockies)