Platanthera flava var. herbiola

(R. Brown) Luer

Native Orchids U.S. & Canada, 214. 1975.

IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Habenaria herbiola R. Brown in W. Aiton and W. T. Aiton, Hortus Kew. 5: 193. 1813
Synonyms: Habenaria flava var. herbiola (R. Brown) Ames & Correll
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 564.

Inflorescences rather dense, stout (in part from floral bracts usually long, often greatly exceeding flowers); lip (excluding auricles) oblong, obtuse or rarely emarginate, rarely triangular and acute. 2n = 42.


Phenology: Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat: Alluvial forests, riparian thickets, wet meadows, wet prairies, seeps, salt marshes
Elevation: 0–900 m

Distribution

V26 1150-distribution-map.jpg

N.B., N.S., Ont., Que., Ark., Conn., Del., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., Tex., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Discussion

Tuberoids and the over-wintering bud typically form at a marked distance from the parent shoot, resulting in clonal colonies dominated by sterile plants.

The southern Platanthera flava var. flava and the northern var. herbiola are very distinct in their extreme forms, but they seem to intergrade, at least in the herbarium. They are usually as readily distinguished by plant habit as by lip shape. The slender, laxly flowered habit of the former is compounded by usually short floral bracts, whereas in the latter bracts are typically longer than the flowers and often exceed them, adding to the congested and broader aspect of the inflorescence. Further complicating determination are a few specimens from the region from the southern tip of Lake Michigan south and southwestward. Those have markedly triangular lips with prominent triangular auricles or basal lobes. These stout but rather laxly flowered plants seem to occupy mesic wooded slopes and may constitute a distinct taxon; comparisons should be made with similar Asiatic species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
Charles J. Sheviak +
(R. Brown) Luer +
Habenaria herbiola +
N.B. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Ky. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, R.I. +, Tex. +, Vt. +, Va. +, W.Va. +  and Wis. +
0–900 m +
Alluvial forests, riparian thickets, wet meadows, wet prairies, seeps, salt marshes +
Flowering May–Aug. +
Native Orchids U.S. & Canada, +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
Habenaria flava var. herbiola +
Platanthera flava var. herbiola +
Platanthera flava +
variety +