''Arethusa bulbosa'', commonly called dragon's mouth orchid, is the only

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the

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. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Arethusa''. The genus is named after a naiad of

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

. This

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

genus is abbreviated Aret in trade journals. This terrestrial and rare orchid occurs in Eastern North America from

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

east to Newfoundland and St. Pierre & Miquelon south to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, with isolated populations in northern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

and in the Carolinas.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, ''Arethusa bulbosa''
/ref> It occurs in bogs, swamps and other wet lowlands. It grows to a height of 15 cm. It forms a large, single, pink terminal

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

, with a showy lip and white and yellow fringed crests.

Gallery

Dragon's mouth Orchid, Western Pond.jpg, Western Brook Pond Trail, Gros Morne National Park,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

Arethusa bulbosa BB-1913.jpg, Drawing from Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. (1913). ''Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada.'' Arethusa_bulbosa, Waterloo, Mich.jpg, Waterloo State Recreation Area,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

References

External links

*
Wildflowers of Connecticut, Connecticut Botanical SocietyMinnesota WildflowersLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15111652 Arethusinae Orchids of Canada Orchids of the United States Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Plants described in 1753