Slender lady's tresses
Also known as: slender ladies'-tresses
Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect, slender, glabrous.
- Leaves
- Basal, 2-5, often absent at flowering; short-stalked; ovate to elliptic, .6 to 2.5 inch long, .4 to 1 inch wide; tips pointed.
- Inflorescence
- Spike, 1.2 to 6 inches long; flowers evenly spaced in single tight or loose spiral.
- Flower
- Floral bracts ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1/5 to 2/5 inch long, 1/25 to 1/8 inch wide; tips pointed to tapering-pointed; perianth narrow, tubular in appearance, 1/6 to 1/4 inch long; sepals 3, petal-like, oblong lanceolate to lanceolate, white; petals 3, linear, white; lip white with green center, tip irregularly cleft.
- Fruit
- Capsule, erect, ellipsoid to ovoid, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, 1/12 to 1/6 inch wide; seeds numerous, tiny.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Open, dry or rocky deciduous woods, dry to moist meadows and prairies, roadsides, old fields; sandstone, chert, or igneous soils.
- Distribution
- East 1/2 of Kansas
Practical Information
- Uses
- Native Americans used the root as a charm to bring good luck when hunting.
Additional Notes
Comments
Latin lacera "lacerated" or "irregularly torn", alluding to the margin of the perianth lip.
Special Notes: See also Spring lady's tresses and Lady's tresses
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Orchidaceae - Orchid Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 6-24 inches
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2011-05-28
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: August, September, October