Calopogon tuberosus — tuberous grass-pink
![Flowers: Calopogon tuberosus. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/calopogon-tuberosus-fl-ahaines-a.jpg)
![Inflorescences: Calopogon tuberosus. ~ By Marilee Lovit. ~ Copyright © 2024 Marilee Lovit. ~ lovitm[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/calopogon-tuberosus-in-mlovit-b.jpg)
![Inflorescences: Calopogon tuberosus. ~ By Marilee Lovit. ~ Copyright © 2024 Marilee Lovit. ~ lovitm[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/calopogon-tuberosus-in-mlovit-a.jpg)
![Inflorescences: Calopogon tuberosus. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/calopogon-tuberosus-in-ahaines-b.jpg)
![Flowers: Calopogon tuberosus. ~ By Dorothy Long. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/calopogon-tuberosus-fl-dlong-b.jpg)
![Flowers: Calopogon tuberosus. ~ By William Larkin. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/calopogon-tuberosus-fl-wlarkin.jpg)
![Inflorescences: Calopogon tuberosus. ~ By Dorothy Long. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/calopogon-tuberosus-in-dlong-a.jpg)
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Tuberous grass-pink has the broadest range of any of the five species in the grass-pink genus (Calopogon), and the only one found in New England. The knobbed hairs on the lip are believed to imitate pollen, thus attracting pollen-collecting bees. The actual pollen is deposited via a pollinium on the upper side of the bee's abdomen, where the bee cannot reach it.
Habitat
Bogs, fens (calcium-rich wetlands), meadows and fields, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant (basal)
- Number of leaves on stem
- absent
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is lobed but not fringed
- Main color of lower petal
-
- pink to red
- white
- Nectar spur
- there are no nectar spurs on the flower
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Lower petal characteristics
- the labellum is lobed
- Lower petal length
- 11–23 mm
- Sepal length
- 13–31 mm
-
Flowers
- Flower bract length
- 3–30 mm
- Flower petal color
-
- pink
- white
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Flowering date
-
- August
- July
- June
- Flowers per inflorescence
- 1–25
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
- Hairs on flower stalk
- NA
- Hairs on inflorescence axis
- the main stem of the inflorescence is hairless
- Inflorescence length
- 100–380 mm
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Labellum position
- the labellum is in the upper position on the flower
- Length of flower stalk
- 0 mm
- Length of narrowed base of lower petal
- 0 mm
- Lobes at base of lower petal
- 0 mm
- Lower petal characteristics
- the labellum is lobed
- Lower petal length
- 11–23 mm
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is lobed but not fringed
- Lower petal strongly red-veined
- no
- Main color of lower petal
-
- pink to red
- white
- Nectar spur
- there are no nectar spurs on the flower
- Nectar spur length
- 0 mm
- Number of stamens
- 1
- Pollen sacs
- the pollinia remain intact and do not fragment into smaller parts
- Self-pollinating flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on this plant
- Sepal length
- 13–31 mm
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Shape of viscidium
- NA
- Spots on lower petal
- no
- Spur opening membrane
- NA
- Spur opening shape
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Fruit length
- 13–30 mm
- Fruit width
- 5–10 mm
- Seed capsule orientation
- the capsule points upwards or is angled outwards
-
Growth form
- Plant green or not
- the plant is chlorophyllous (it has green parts)
- Roots
- the rhizomes do not resemble coral
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Bract relative length
- the bract is shorter than the associated flower
- Features of leaves
- the leaf has a strong bend or joint (articulation) in it
- Leaf arrangement
- the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant (basal)
- Leaf blade edges
- the edges of the leaf blade have no teeth
- Leaf blade length
- 30–500 mm
- Leaf blade length to width ratio
- 10–15
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade width
- 2–50 mm
- Leaves during flowering
- there are leaves on the plant when it is flowering
- Number of bracts on stem
- 2–3
- Number of leaves on stem
- absent
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- bogs
- edges of wetlands
- fens (calcium-rich wetlands)
- meadows or fields
- swamps
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Vermont
- uncommon (S-rank: S3)
var. tuberosus
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Rhode Island
- rare (S-rank: S2), concern (code: C)
Subspecies and varieties
Our variety is Calopogon tuberosus (L.) B.S.P. var. tuberosus.
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Calopogon tuberosus (L.) B.S.P. var. tuberosus N
tuberous grass-pink. Calopogon pulchellus (Salisb.) R. Br.; Limodorum tuberosum L. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Bogs, fens, wet meadows, and openings in conifer swamps.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Pogonia ophioglossioides:
- modified petal (the labellum) lowermost, ornamented, but without a brush of fine yellow hairs, and leaf blades mostly oblanceolate to elliptic (vs. C. tuberosus, with modified petal (the labellum) uppermost, with a brush of fine yellow hairs, and leaf blades mostly linear to lanceolate).
Synonyms
- Calopogon pulchellus (Salisb.) R. Br.
- Limodorum tuberosum L.