Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses - Spring lady's tresses

SPRING LADY'S TRESSES

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Spiranthes vernalis Engelm. & A. Gray

Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 6-36 inches

Family: Orchidaceae - Orchid Family

Flowering Period: June, July, August

Also Called:

Twisted ladies'-tresses.

Stems:

Erect, slender, usually solitary, unbranched, densely pubescent above.

Leaves:

Mostly basal, simple, sessile, few, grass-like, more or less erect, linear or narrowly lanceolate, mostly 2.5 to 8 inches long, less than 3/5 inch wide; margins entire; tips pointed.

Inflorescences:

Spikes, slender, 2.5 to 6 inches long, with up to 50 flowers in single loose or tight spiral; floral bracts ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 1/4 to 1 inch long, hairy; tips tapering to points.

Flowers:

Usually perpendicular to stem, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, almost tubular, whitish to yellowish white, outer surface pubescent; sepals 3, 1/5 to 2/5 inch long, petal-like; petals 3, lower petal larger, constricted at middle; tip with small rounded teeth.

Fruits:

Capsules, erect, egg-shaped, about 1/4 inch long; seeds numerous, tiny.

Habitat:

Moist prairies, meadows, ditches, and sandy woods, most abundant in loamy, acidic soils.

Distribution:

East 1/2 of Kansas.

Comments:

Spring lady's tresses blooms in the summer and lady's tresses and slender lady's tresses later, in the fall.

Spring lady's tresses inflorescence