Spiranthes Lacera Var
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''Spiranthes'' is a genus of
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 flowering ...
s in the subfamily
Orchidoideae The Orchidoideae, or the orchidoid orchids, are a subfamily of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) that contains around 3630 species. Species typically have a single (monandrous), fertile anther which is erect and basitonic. Description The subfa ...
. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses.''Spiranthes''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
The genus is distributed in the Americas, Eurasia, and Australia.''Spiranthes''.
Flora of North America.
The genus name ''Spiranthes'' is derived from the Greek ''speira'' ("coil") and ''anthos'' ("flower"), and was inspired by the spirally arranged
inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
.


Description

These are perennial herbs growing from fleshy root systems that range from slender to
tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...
ous, and are occasionally
stolon In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...
iferous. Most of the leaves are basal, but some species have leaves higher on the stem before the inflorescence matures, often taking the form of a sheath around the stem. The inflorescence is a terminal spike with flowers arranged in a characteristic loose or dense spiral. As in most other orchids, the flowers are
resupinate Resupination is derived from the Latin word ''resupinus'', meaning "bent back with the face upward" or "on the back". "Resupination" is the noun form of the adjective "resupine" which means "being upside-down, supine or facing upward". The word " ...
, twisting during development into an upside-down position. The six
tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s may be separate, or the three upper may be joined to form a hood over the lip petal. The lip is thin to somewhat fleshy, and two basal glands produce
nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
. The flowers are usually white, cream, ivory, or yellowish, and two species have pink flowers; a few are also fragrant.''Spiranthes''.
The Jepson eFlora 2013.


Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Spiranthes'' was first formally described in 1817 by
Louis Claude Richard Louis Claude Marie Richard (19 September 1754 – 6 June 1821) was a French botanist and botanical illustrator. Richard was born at Versailles. Between 1781 and 1789 he collected botanical specimens in Central America and the West Indies. On his r ...
in his book ''De Orchideis Europaeis Annotationes''. The genus's name is derived from
ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
words meaning "a coil" and "a flower". Since its original description, the genus has undergone many taxonomic changes. ''Spiranthes'' once contained all the species from the subtribe
Spiranthinae Spiranthinae is an orchid subtribe in the tribe Cranichideae. Genera accepted in Chase et al.'s 2015 updated classification of orchids: ;Other genera * '' Microthelys'' * '' Potosia'' See also * Taxonomy of the Orchidaceae The taxonomy of th ...
. In 1920, ''Spiranthes'' was split into 24 genera. Revisions in 1951 and 1958 placed more species into the genus. During the 1990s it was divided again. ''Spiranthes'' has recently received increased attention from taxonomists and systematists, leading to new species discovery and the resolution of many long-term taxonomic questions. It is difficult to clearly define some of the
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 ...
of this taxon because some of them are polymorphic, taking a number of different forms,Dueck, L. A. and K. M. Cameron, K. M. (2007)
Sequencing re-defines ''Spiranthes'' relationships, with implications for rare and endangered taxa.
''Lankesteriana'' 7(1-2), 190-95.
with some species belonging to
species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...
es involving several closely related and morphologically similar species (e.g., the ''S. cernua'' species complex; ''S. parksii'', a member of the ''S''. ''cernua'' complex and probably a descendant of ''S. cernua''. It has been suggested that this species is just another rare form).


Species list

The following is a list of species accepted by the
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected plan ...
as at May 2020: * ''
Spiranthes aestivalis ''Spiranthes aestivalis'', commonly called the summer lady's-tresses, is a species of orchid found in western Europe, Turkey, Russia, and North Africa. The specific epithet, ''aestivalis'', is derived from Latin and means "pertaining to the summe ...
'' (Poir.) Rich. (1817) – summer-flowering spiranthes (western & central Europe to northwestern Africa) *''
Spiranthes arcisepala ''Spiranthes arcisepala'', the Appalachian ladies' tresses, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae. This orchid is native to eastern North America. Long treated as part of '' Spiranthes cernua'' the species complex was reevalua ...
'' M.C. Pace (2017) – Appalachian ladies'-tresses (Northeastern US & Maritime Canada) * '' Spiranthes australis'' ( R.Br.)
Lindl. John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...
– Austral ladies tresses (southern
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
and
Himalayan Mountains The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
to the
South-West Pacific Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...
) *''
Spiranthes bightensis ''Spiranthes bightensis'', the Atlantic ladies tresses, is a terrestrial orchid native to coasts of the north-eastern United States. Description ''Spiranthes bightensis'' plants look similar to '' Spiranthes cernua'' and ''Spiranthes odorata''. ...
'' M.C. Pace (2021) – Atlantic ladies'-tresses ( Mid-Atlantic USA) * '' Spiranthes brevilabris'' Lindl. (1840) – Texas ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA) * '' Spiranthes casei'' Catling & Cruise (1974) – Case's ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA) ** ''Spiranthes casei'' var. ''casei'' ** ''Spiranthes casei'' var. ''novaescotiae'' Catling (1981) (Nova Scotia) * ''
Spiranthes cernua ''Spiranthes cernua'', commonly called nodding lady's tresses, or nodding ladies' tresses, is a species of orchid occurring from Maritime Canada to the eastern and southern United States. As the common name suggests ''cernua'' means "nodding", or ...
'' (L.) Rich. (1817) – nodding ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA) * '' Spiranthes delitescens'' Sheviak (1990) – reclusive ladies'-tresses (Southeastern Arizona) * '' Spiranthes diluvialis'' Sheviak (1984) – Ute's ladies'-tresses (Rocky Mountains USA) * ''Spiranthes × eamesii'' P.M.Br. (North-eastern U.S.A.) * '' Spiranthes eatonii'' Ames ex P.M.Br. (1999) – Eaton's ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA) *'' Spiranthes flexuosa'' (Sm.) Lindl. (1824) – Nepalese ladies'-tresses (Himalayan Mountains to SE Asia, southern Japan, and Indonesia) *''Spiranthes floridana'' (Wherry) Cory (1936) – Florida ladies'-tresses (Florida and Texas) *'' Spiranthes graminea'' Lindl. (1840) – Canelo ladies'-tresses (Arizona, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua) * '' Spiranthes × hongkongensis'' S.Y.Hu & Barretto (1976) (South-eastern China, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, N. Borneo) * '' Spiranthes igniorchis'' M.C. Pace (2017) – fire ladies'-tresses (Florida) *'' Spiranthes incurva'' (Jenn.) M.C. Pace (2017) – Sphinx ladies'-tresses (Midwestern US & southern Canada) * '' Spiranthes infernalis'' Sheviak (1989) – Ash Meadows ladies'-tresses (Nevada) * '' Spiranthes × intermedia'' Ames (1903) (South-eastern Canada to north-eastern U.S.A.) * ''
Spiranthes × kapnosperia ''Spiranthes'' is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses.Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...
region) * ''
Spiranthes lacera ''Spiranthes lacera'', commonly called the slender ladies'-tresses, is a species of orchid that is native to Eastern North America. It has a widespread range and is found in a variety of open habitats, both natural and disturbed. It produces a sp ...
'' (Raf.) Raf. (1833) – northern slender ladies'-tresses (central and eastern Canada & USA) ** ''Spiranthes lacera'' var. ''gracilis'' (Bigelow) Luer ** ''Spiranthes lacera'' var. ''lacera'' * ''
Spiranthes laciniata ''Spiranthes laciniata'', the lacelip ladies' tresses is a terrestrial orchid endemic to the south eastern United States. Description ''Spiranthes laciniata'' plants are a tall species of ''Spiranthes'' reaching a height of 20–95 cm, wit ...
'' (Small) Ames (1905) – lace-lipped ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA) * '' Spiranthes longilabris'' Lindl. (1840) – giant-spiral ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA) * '' Spiranthes lucida'' (H.H.Eaton) Ames (1908) – shining ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA) * ''
Spiranthes magnicamporum ''Spiranthes magnicamporum'', commonly called the Great Plains lady's tresses, is a species of orchid that is native to North America. It is primarily native in the Great Plains, but there are outlying populations in the east in areas of former ...
'' Sheviak (1973) – Great Plains ladies'-tresses (central and eastern Canada & USA) * '' Spiranthes maokensis'' M.C.Pace (2018) (Western New Guinea) * '' Spiranthes nebulorum'' Catling & V.R.Catling (1988) (Mexico, Guatemala) *'' Spiranthes niklasii'' M.C. Pace (2017) – Niklas' ladies'-tresses (
Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains (), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thru ...
) * '' Spiranthes ochroleuca'' (Rydb.) Rydb. (1932) – yellow nodding ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA) * ''
Spiranthes odorata ''Spiranthes odorata'', marsh lady's tresses or common lady's tresses, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, native to the southeastern United States, from Texas eastwards and northwards to Delaware. It grows in moist, partially ...
'' (Nutt.) Lindl. (1840) – fragrant ladies'-tresses, marsh ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA) * '' Spiranthes ovalis'' Lindl. (1840) – October ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA) ** ''Spiranthes ovalis'' var. ''erostellata'' Catling (1983) ** ''Spiranthes ovalis'' var. ''ovalis'' Lindl. *'' Spiranthes perexilis'' (Sheviak) M.C. Pace (2019) – Slender starry ladies'-tresses (Sierra Nevada Mountains, USA) *'' Spiranthes porrifolia'' Lindl. (1840) – leek-leaved ladies'-tresses, creamy ladies'-tresses (western USA) * '' Spiranthes praecox'' (Walter) S.Watson in A.Gray (1890) – early-blooming spiranthes, green-vein ladies'-tresses (eastern USA) * '' Spiranthes pusilla'' (Blume) Miq. (1859) (Sumatra) * ''
Spiranthes romanzoffiana ''Spiranthes romanzoffiana'', commonly known as hooded lady's tresses (alternatively hooded ladies' tresses) or Irish lady's-tresses (Irish: Cùilìn Gaelach), is a species of orchid. Collected by Chamisso during the Romanzov expedition it was de ...
'' Cham. (1828) – hooded ladies'-tresses (British Isles, North America) * '' Spiranthes × sierrae'' M.C.Pace (2019) (California) * '' Spiranthes × simpsonii'' Catling & Sheviak (1993) (Southeastern Canada to north-central U.S.A.) * '' Spiranthes sinensis'' (Pers.) Ames (1908) – Chinese Spiranthes (East Asia) * '' Spiranthes spiralis'' (L.) Chevall. (1827) – autumn ladies-tresses, spiraled Spiranthes (Europe, Mediterranean,
Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
) * '' Spiranthes × stellata'' P.M.Br., Dueck & K.M.Cameron (2008) (Central California) *'' Spiranthes suishaensis'' (Hayata) Schltr. (1919) – Taiwan ladies'-tresses (Taiwan) *'' Spiranthes sunii'' Boufford & Wen H. Zhang (2008) (
Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...
, China) *'' Spiranthes sylvatica'' P.M.Br. (2008) (Florida) *'' Spiranthes torta'' (Thunb.) Garay & H.R.Sweet in R.A.Howard (1974) – southern ladies'-tresses (Florida, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America) *'' Spiranthes triloba'' (Small) J.K. Schum. (1898) – Panther ladies'-tresses (Florida) * '' Spiranthes tuberosa'' Raf. (1833) – little ladies'-tresses (eastern USA) * '' Spiranthes vernalis'' Engelm. & A.Gray (1845) – spring ladies'-tresses (North America, Bahamas) * '' Spiranthes × zahlbruckneri'' H.Fleischm. (1910) (Europe)


Ecology


Pollination

''Spiranthes'' are primarily pollinated by
bumblebee 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 group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...
s, however other bee genera also pollinate various species, including halictid bees, and
honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...
s (particularly in Europe and Asia).


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q163541 Cranichideae genera