- You are here:
- Full Key
- Orchids and related plants
- Orchids
- Platanthera huronensis
Platanthera huronensis — Lake Huron bog green orchid
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
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.
Facts
Lake Huron bog green orchid grows in wet meadows, marshes, shorelines, seeps and ditches. This species is apparently descended from a cross between north wind bog-orchid (Platanthera aquilonis) and white northern bog-orchid (Platanthera dilatata).
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), fens (calcium-rich wetlands), marshes, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is simple in form
- Main color of lower petal
-
- green to brown
- white
- yellow
- Nectar spur
- the flower has at least one nectar spur on it
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Lower petal characteristics
-
- the labellum has spurs on it
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal length
- 5–12 mm
- Sepal length
- 5–8 mm
-
Flowers
- Flower petal color
-
- green
- white
- yellow
- 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
- 12–105
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
- Hairs on inflorescence axis
- the main stem of the inflorescence is hairless
- Inflorescence length
- 80–250 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 lower 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 has spurs on it
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal length
- 5–12 mm
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal strongly red-veined
- no
- Main color of lower petal
-
- green to brown
- white
- yellow
- Nectar spur
- the flower has at least one nectar spur on it
- Nectar spur length
- 4–12 mm
- Number of stamens
- 1
- Orientation of side petals
- the lateral petals are angled steeply upwards
- 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
- 5–8 mm
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Shape of viscidium
- the viscidium is another shape than the choices given
- Spots on lower petal
- no
- Spur opening membrane
- there is no membrane over the spur opening
-
Fruits or seeds
- Fruit length
- 10–15 mm
- Fruit width
- 4–6 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 longer than the associated flower
- Features of leaves
- the leaf does not have any of the mentioned special features
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edges of the leaf blade have no teeth
- Leaf blade length
- 50–300 mm
- Leaf blade length to width ratio
- 4.3–8.3
- Leaf blade shape
-
- 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)
- the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
- Leaf blade tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- the tip of the leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
- Leaf blade width
- 6–70 mm
- Leaves during flowering
- there are leaves on the plant when it is flowering
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- fens (calcium-rich wetlands)
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- marshes
- meadows or fields
- shores of rivers or lakes
Wetland status
Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)
New England distribution and conservation status
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
- rare (uncertain) (S-rank: S2?), #NAME? (code: #NAME?)
- Rhode Island
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), state threatened (code: ST)
- Vermont
- uncommon (S-rank: S3)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
10. Platanthera huronensis (Nutt.) Lindl. N
Lake Huron green bog-orchid. Habenaria huronensis (Nutt.) Spreng.; H. hyperborea var. huronensis (Nutt.) Farw.; Platanthera hyperborea (L.) Lindl. var. huronensis (Nutt.) Luer; P. ×media (Rydb.) Luer • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Meadows, fens, marshes, shorelines, ditches, seeps.