showy orchis

not listed

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

not listed

Showy orchis is a 3″ to 10″ tall perennial orchid. It rises on a pair of basal leaves and single stem from an underground tuber atop a cluster of 2 to 8 thick, fleshy roots. The tuber is slender, 1½″ to 4″ long, and vertically oriented. The roots are up to 6″ long and spread out horizontally.

In its first year the plant produces a single aboveground leaf and a new underground tuber and roots. The leaves die back in October or November. In subsequent years two leaves are produced. After four to six years it produces a single flowering stem.

The leaves are dark green, shiny, thick, somewhat succulent, and parallel-veined. The blades are broadly elliptic or inversely egg-shaped to nearly circular, 3½″ to 8″ long, and ¾″ to 4″ wide. The lower leaf is rounded at the tip. The upper leaf is narrower and more pointed at the tip. Both are gradually tapered at the base and wrap around (sheath) the stalk. The upper and lower surfaces are hairless. The margins are untoothed.

The flowering stem is green, hairless, leafless, erect, unbranched, and 3″ to 10″ long.

The inflorescence is a showy, unbranched cluster (raceme) of 2 to 10 flowers at the end of the stem. Each flower is subtended by a single modified leaf (bract). The bract is leaf-like, lance-shaped to elliptic, ⅝″to 3″ long, and 3 ⁄16″to ¾″ wide.

Each flower is ¾″ to 1⅛″ long and is upside down due to the twisting of the flower stalk. There are 3 sepals, 3 petals, 1 stamen, no staminodes, and 1 style. The filament of the stamen is fused to the style forming a column. The sepals are pinkish-purple, rarely white, egg-shaped to elliptic, ⅜″ to ¾″ long, and ⅛″ to ¼″ wide. The lateral two sepals curve upward and overlap the “upper” sepal forming a hood over the column. The lateral petals are pinkish purple, linear, and ⅜″ to ⅝″ long. They arch over and overlap the sepals becoming part of the hood overlapping the column. The “lower” petal (lip) is white, rarely tinged pink, egg-shaped, ⅜″ to 11 ⁄16″ long, and ¼″ to ⅝″ wide. It hangs downward, is constricted at the base, and has wavy margins. The base of the petal is modified into a narrow, club-shaped, ⅜″ to ¾″ long spur.

The fruit is an erect, ellipse-shaped, strongly ribbed, ⅝″ to 1″ long capsule with numerous tiny seeds.

3″ to 10″

Pinkish-purple and white

Roundleaf orchis (Galearis rotundifolia) has only one basal leaf. The lip of the flower is less than ⅜″ long, has conspicuous purple spots, and has three lobes, the terminal one notched.

Moist. Mature deciduous woodlands. Deep shade. Rich soil.

May 11 to June 10

Showy orchis is the first orchid to bloom in the spring in Minnesota.

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 25, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Occasional

Plant

Inflorescence

Flowers

Location: Sakatah Lake State Park

Location: Stearns County, Brockway Township, Pine Point Road, Sartell MN

these lovely plants grow in our red pine woods.

Location: south of Mankato, MN

Location: Normandale Lake trail, Bloomington, MN