The Orchid Family
What are they?
Orchids have always enjoyed great popularity and their often brightly-colored spikes can certainly brighten up a shady piece of woodland. But there are many species in this family, some of which are surprisingly dull and easily missed.
Where are they found?
Orchids are largely highly-specialized and as such tend to occur in the more pristine habitats that have not been disturbed by cultivation. Old, established woodland, wet grassland and sphagnum bogs are typical locations to find orchids.
Identification
Though a few species - such as Crane-fly Orchid - have distinctive leaves, most orchids are best identified by their flowers. When identifying an orchid, pay particular attention to the shape and size of the labellum and the spur.
Technical terms that it is useful to know when identifying this group are Labellum and Spur. Orchid flowers are highly evolved; most have three sepals and three petals, but these have evolved to be unequal in size and shape. Many orchid species have an obvious lower lip which is larger and more prominent than the other parts of the flower. This is known as the labellum and is made up of an enlarged uppermost petal. In fact, there is a twist - quite literally!! Orchid flowers are actually twisted through 180 degrees, so the uppermost petal is at the bottom and often forms a platform for pollinating insects to land on. The labellum is often further adapted, being drawn out at the back on many species into a hollow tube called the spur, which contains nectar.
Moccasin-flower Cypripedium acaule
A declining but still not uncommon species of leafy woodland floors and other shady places. Severe deer grazing of the flowers is a serious threat to this and many other species of orchids. Flowers May to June. When not in flower, the leaves can be recognized by their covering of yellow-tipped, glandular hairs, which can be an irritant to some people.
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Tuberous Grass-pink Calopogon tuberosus
Rare in Cape May County, in sphagnum bogs and abandoned cranberry bogs. Declining and threatened by lack of habitat management. Flowers late June to July. Perhaps the most beautiful of New Jersey orchids, with its large, brilliantly pink flowers which usually open one at a time. Unusual for an orchid in that the flower stems are not twisted, so the labellum is at the top.
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Dragon's-mouth Orchid Arethusa bulbosa
Rare in Cape May County with no recent records, but the species may still just survive here. Typically a plant of species-rich sphagnum bogs, often close to or in White Cedar bogs. Flowers May.
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Rose Pogonia Pogonia ophioglossoides
Showy, single pink flowers carried on long stems. Note narrow petals and strongly fringed labellum. Found in old sphagnum and cranberry bogs and occasionally other wetland areas. Infrequent but sometimes occurs in colonies. Flowers May to July.
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Downy Rattlesnake-orchid Goodyera pubescens
Colonies of this plant were once fairly frequent in rich, loamy, woodland soils but it is now scarce and more often found as just single plants. Flowers July to August.
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Spring Ladies'-tresses Spiranthes vernalis
Generally a rare species in Cape May County, but known from several well-visited sites in the south so perhaps seen more often than some other species of Spiranthes. Note the twisted stem which makes the flowering head look like a spiral staircase (from whence comes the generic name Spiranthes). Open, grassy places, wet or dry including dunes, meadows and edges of marshland. Flowers June to August.
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in the center |
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flowering time |
Little Ladies'-tresses Spiranthes tuberosa
A rare species, currently known from a single location in the north of Cape May County, in an old meadow. Flowers August to September. With experience of the ladies'-tresses, this species can generally be identified by its small size compared to the other species. The flowers are small, with a green mark at the back of the throat and a relatively small labellum.
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Nodding Ladies'-tresses Spiranthes cernua
Widespread and frequent in wet, grassy habitats such as low, old fields and swampy edges. Flowerheads spiral, though not as obviously so as some species of Spiranthes Flowers late August to October.
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strongly downward |
Green Fringed Orchid Platanthera lacera
Will grow in a wide range of damp, swampy or boggy habitats, but has become very rare and is currently known from just a single location in Cape May County. Flowers June to August.
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White Fringed Orchid Platanthera blephariglottis
A large and showy orchid found in marshy hollows and swamp edges. Once fairly common but now much less common. Flowers July to August.
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Luer's Fringed Orchid Platanthera x lueri
A hybrid between White Fringed and Yellow Fringed Orchids which is rare but may occur wherever the two parent species occur. Flowers July to August. Being a hybrid between an orange and a white species, the flowers are rather variably two-colored, often being pale yellowish-orange with white edging.
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Yellow Fringed Orchid Platanthera ciliaris
A large and showy orchid found in marshy hollows and swamp edges. Seems never to have been common and is currently known from a single site in Cape May County. Flowers July to August. Similar to Crested Fringed Orchid but generally larger overall and the flowers have spurs which are longer than the flower stalk.
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Crested Fringed Orchid Platanthera cristata
A beautiful but rare and declining species that still hangs on in a few shady, damp woodland locations. Flowers late June to July. Note that the flower spur is shorter than the flower stalk.
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than flower stalk |
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Canby's Fringed Orchid Platanthera x canbyi
A hybrid orchid, resulting from hybridization between White Fringed and Crested Fringed Orchids. Rare, but may occur where both parents grow together. Flowers late June to July.
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than flower stalk |
Small Green Wood Orchid Platanthera clavellata
Found at a few scattered sites in the county in wet woodland and edges of undisturbed swamps. Flowers late June to August.
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flower stalk |
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Broad-leaved Helleborine Epipactis helleborine
Introduced from Europe. This species has become well established in North Jersey and appears to be spreading, with the first Cape May record coming from Dennisville in 2012. Currently known from a single site but may occur in loamy woodland soils more or less anywhere. Flowers June to July. Flowers appear in a crowded spike and are unlike those of any native species.
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Southern Twayblade Listera australis
Typical of many ground-living orchids of temperate climes, this is a small and rather drab species which is easily overlooked in the dappled light of a leafy forest floor. Wet forest edges and shady swampland. Considered rare and endangered throughout much of its range. Flowers late May to June.
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occasionally yellowish |
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Crane-fly Orchid Tipularia discolor
Widespread throughout New Jersey but rare in much of its range. Hard to find and easily overlooked, the flimsy spikes of brownish flowers readily blend into the surroundings in its favored woodland habitat. Flowers July to August. Perhaps easiest to find in late winter when each plant sends up a single leaf. Leaves are typically green above and purple below, but may be either green or purple on both sides.
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purple spur |
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Lily-leaved Twayblade Liparis liliifolia
A rare and declining species of loamy, woodland soils. Recorded many years ago in Cape May County and may perhaps turn up again in suitable habitat. Flowers June. Leaves are broadly rounded and carried in a basal rosette. Flowers small and delicate, pale, pinkish-brown.
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