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
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Riley County, Kansas
Spring lady's tresses flowers
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Riley County, Kansas
Spring lady's tresses leaves
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Riley County, Kansas
Spring lady's tresses
69 KB
Riley County, Kansas