''Habenaria repens'', commonly called the water-spider bog orchid or the floating orchid, is an orchid species widespread across

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

south to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, as well as in the Southeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

east to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and the

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

plus an isolated population in

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 ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> A

phenolic Phenolic is an adjective and a substantive (noun) that may apply to : * Phenol (or carbolic acid), a colorless crystalline solid and aromatic compound * Phenols, a class of chemical compounds that include phenol * Phenolic content in wine * Phenol ...

compound called

habenariol Habenariol is a phenolic compound found in the semi-aquatic orchid '' Habenaria repens''. It acts as a feeding deterrent against the freshwater crayfish ''Procambarus clarkii ''Procambarus clarkii'', known variously as the red swamp crayfish, ...

can be found in ''H. repens''. It acts as a

feeding deterrent Plant defense against herbivory or host-plant resistance (HPR) describes a range of adaptations evolved by plants which improve their survival and reproduction by reducing the impact of herbivores. Plants can sense being touched, and they can ...

.Habenariol, a freshwater feeding deterrent from the aquatic orchid ''Habenaria repens'' (Orhicaceae). Wilson D.M, Fenical W, Hay M.E, Lindquist N and Bolser R, Phytochemistry, 1999, Volume 50, pages 1333-1336,

Varieties

Two taxonomic varieties are accepted as of June 2014: *''Habenaria repens'' var. ''maxillaris'' (Lindl.) Garay - Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia *''Habenaria repens'' var. ''repens'' - most of species range including those regions listed for var. ''maxillaris''

References

External links

* *
Aquatic and Invasive Plant Identification Series by the UF/IFAS at www.youtube.com

plants.usda.gov

plants.ifas.ufl.edu

www.efloras.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15482311 repens Orchids of North America Orchids of South America Orchids of Central America Orchids of Belize Flora of Mexico Flora of the Caribbean Flora of Central America Flora of the Southeastern United States Plants described in 1818 Flora without expected TNC conservation status