Platanthera praeclara

Native

July

Wet prairies and sedge meadows in the northwest. Moderately moist upland prairies in the southwest.

1′ to 2′

This is a 1′ to 2′ tall, erect, long-lived, perennial forb that rises on a single stem from a tight bundle of fleshy roots.

The stems are stout, erect, and hairless. Flowering stems are usually 18″ to 24″ tall.

The lower leaves are alternate, lance-shaped, ascending, thick, hairless, and 4″ to 10″ long, up to 2″ wide, with a blunt tip. Upper leaves are much smaller.

The inflorescence is loose, open spike at the end of the stem with up to 24 flowers.

The flowers are large, up to 1½″ long, showy, and upside down due to the twisting of the flower stalk. The petals are creamy white. The lower petal (lip) is 3-lobed with a fringed margin. The column is distinctly angular.

Ragged fringed orchid (Platanthera lacera) has smaller flowers, more linear fringes, and is shorter height.

Sources: 2, 3, 5, 6.

Public places this plant can be found in Minnesota include Felton Prairie SNA, Bicentennial Unit; Pembina Trail Preserve SNA; and Pipestone National Monument.

Western prairie fringed orchid is endemic to tallgrass prairie. There are only 175 known populations in 40 counties in six states and one Canadian province. One quarter of those occurrences are protected by federal, state, or private preserves. The only three large populations have been found, one in Polk County in northern Minnesota, one in eastern North Dakota, and one in Manitoba. A large population may have over 2,000 individual plants.