''Spiranthes laciniata'', the lacelip ladies' tresses is a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

orchid endemic to the south eastern United States.

Description

''Spiranthes laciniata'' plants are a tall species of ''

Spiranthes ''Spiranthes'' is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses.anthesis Anthesis is the period during which a flower is fully open and functional. It may also refer to the onset of that period. The onset of anthesis is spectacular in some species. In ''Banksia'' species, for example, anthesis involves the extension ...

. The flowers are white to cream-white and arranged in a spiral around the stem. The lip is usually yellow in the center. Bloom time is from May to (at its northern range) September.

Distribution and habitat

''Spiranthes laciniata'' is native to the southeastern coastal plains, from Texas in the south all the way to New Jersey in the north. It is a wetland plant and grows in swamps and marshes, sometimes even in standing water.

Taxonomy

The ''Spiranthes laciniata'' name was first published by Oakes Ames in 1905, after

John Kunkel Small John Kunkel Small (January 31, 1869 – January 20, 1938) was an American botanist. Born on January 31, 1869, in Harrisburg Pennsylvania, Kunkel studied botany at Franklin & Marshall College and Columbia University. He was the first Curator of ...

had described the plants in 1903 as ''Gyrostachys laciniata''.

References

laciniata Orchids of the United States Plants described in 1905 {{Orchidoideae-stub