''Aplectrum hyemale'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

native to the eastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

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, from

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

east to the

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and north to

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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and

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.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> It is particularly common in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

, the

Great Lakes Region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...

, and the

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and Upper Mississippi Valleys. Isolated populations are also reported from

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

.Biota of North America Program
/ref> ''Aplectrum hyemale'' is the sole species of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Aplectrum''. The generic name comes from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and signifies "spurless". The species is commonly referred to as Adam and Eve or putty root; the latter refers to the

mucilaginous Mucilage is a thick gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion, with the direction of their movement always opposite to that of the secretion of ...

fluid which can be removed from the tubers when they are crushed, used by Native Americans to mend pottery. ''Aplectrum hyemale'' spreads underground through the growth of its tubers, forming large colonies. The leaves appear in late November and persist until March. They are uniquely pin-striped, with parallel alternating silvery-white and green stripes. In late May or early June the flower stalk emerges carrying several flowers, each only a few millimeters across.Flora of North America v 26 p 632, ''Aplectrum hyemale'' (Muhlenburg ex Willdenow) Nuttall, Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 198. 1818.
/ref> It is sometimes confused with '' Tipularia discolor'', another orchid species that occurs in eastern North America.Flora of North America v 26 p 624, Tipularia discolor (Pursh) Nuttall, Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 195. 1818.
/ref> There exists a color variation, ''Aplectrum hyemale var. pallidum'' which differs in flower color.

Seeds and Germination

''Aplectrum'' flowers are able to self-pollinate, thus are able to produce seeds asexually. ''Aplectrum'' produces many dust like seeds and each contain minimal nutrient reserves. ''Aplectrum'' seeds are a fraction of a millimeter in diameter and are wind dispersed. ''Aplectrum'' seeds are difficult to germinate and propagate because they require a mycorrizal association.

Pollination Biology

Little is known about the pollination of the ''Aplectrum''. It flowers in the late spring and the flowers lack nectar and does not attract many pollinators. Reported floral visitors include the bees '' Bombus separatus'' and ''

Bombus A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

americanorum.'' Since there are very few pollinators of ''Aplectrum'', it relies on autogamy (selfing).

Predation and Herbivory

There are two know predators of ''Aplectrum''. White Tailed Deer ('' Odocoileus virginianus'') which maybe related to decline of ''Aplectrum'' in some areas. The second known potential predator is the Spur-Throated Grasshopper ('' Melanoplus acrophilus''). This is the only known account of potential insect herbivory on ''Aplectrum''.

References

External links

*
Plants For a FutureLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas
*
North Carolina Native Plant SocietyWisconsin State Department of Natural Resources
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q20815, from2=Q150732 Monotypic Epidendroideae genera Calypsoinae genera Orchids of Canada Orchids of the United States Calypsoinae Taxa named by Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg