Spiranthes cernua
Spiranthes cernua, commonly called the nodding lady's tresses,[1] 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 "bowed" in Latin.
Nodding lady's tresses | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Orchidaceae |
Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
Tribe: | Cranichideae |
Genus: | Spiranthes |
Species: | S. cernua |
Binomial name | |
Spiranthes cernua | |
Synonyms | |
Spiranthes cernua has long been described as a species complex, exhibiting different morphologies throughout its range. Charles Sheviak, now retired curator of the New York State Museum Herbarium, explored this diversity in great detail,[2] eventually describing Spiranthes magnicamporum to represent large, later-flowering individuals with tuberous roots from the Midwest.[3] More recently, molecular and morphological work has recognized additional cryptic species in need of description; these newly recognized species are sometimes not closely related to S. cernua.[4]
Broadly, the Spiranthes cernua species complex includes:
- Spiranthes arcisepala (Appalachian Mountains and eastern Great Lakes Basin)
- Spiranthes cernua sensu stricto
- Spiranthes incurva (ancient hybrid between S. cernua s.s. and S. magnicamporum, Great Lakes Basin, northern Ohio River Valley, and Great Plains)
- Spiranthes magnicamporum (Great Plains ladies's tresses)
- Spiranthes niklasii (ancient hybrid between S. cernua and S. ovalis, Ouachita Mountains and Crowley's Ridge, Arkansas)
- Spiranthes ochroleuca (Appalachian Mountains and eastern Great Lakes Basin)
- Spiranthes ×kapnosperia (hybrid between S. cernua and S. ochroleuca, Great Smoky Mountains region)
A commonly cultivated variety is Spiranthes cernua 'Chadds Ford', grown because of its larger flowers, ease of cultivation, and other merits.[5]
This species blooms in the autumn, and is commonly found along roadsides and pond edges.
References
- "Spiranthes cernua". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- Sheviak, Charles (1982). "Biosystematic study of the Spiranthes cernua complex". Bulletin of the New York State Museum Science Service. 448 – via Google Scholar.
- Sheviak, Charles J. (1973). "A New Spiranthes from the Grasslands of Central North America". Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University. 23 (7): 285–297. ISSN 0006-8098. JSTOR 41762281.
- Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (2017). "The Systematics of the Spiranthes cernua Species Complex (Orchidaceae): Untangling the Gordian Knot". Systematic Botany. 42 (4): 640–669. doi:10.1600/036364417x696537.
- http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a284/spiranthes-odorata.aspx