''Spiranthes lucida'', the shining ladies'-tresses, is a species of orchid native to northeastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Description

''Spiranthes lucida'' is a perennial,

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plant up to 37 cm tall. The 3-4 leaves are

basal Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''. Science * Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure * Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...

, and persist after flowering time, unlike many other ''Spiranthes'' species. This is one of the earliest flowering species of ladies'-tresses, with flowers produced between May and August. The flowers are arranged spirally on a single spike. The flowers are white, with a prominent brilliant yellow lip.

Distribution and habitat

''Spiranthes lucida'' occurs from Nova Scotia to northeastern Wisconsin, south to Virginia, Arkansas, and Missouri. It occurs in saturated, calcareous, sandy or gravelly soils found in habitats such as riverbanks, fens, seeps, and gravel pits.

Ecology

Bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

in the family Halictidae have been observed visiting the flowers. The flower morphology is better adapted for short-tongued bees like these than for longer-tongued bees such as

bumblebees 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 ...

, unlike most other ''Spiranthes'' species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1152067 lucida Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of the North-Central United States Orchids of the United States