Carolina Orchids

 

Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule). 
Blue Ridge Parkway, Watauga County, North Carolina.

The word orchid conjures up images of dazzling colors, exotic shapes, and tropical locales.  The greatest diversity of orchids is in the tropics but this large family of plants has a surprisingly wide distribution.  Orchids grow from the arctic to the equator and from sea level to above the tree line.  North and South Carolina host over fifty species of these fascinating plants. 

The word orchid comes from ancient Greek and means testicle.  The name was applied to these plants because the paired tubers of European orchids resemble testicles.  Even today, the surgical removal of testes is called an orchidectomy. 

All orchids have a symbiotic association with soil fungi.  During orchid germination the fungus provides the seedling with organic nutrients.  This association continues throughout the life of the orchid and both organisms benefit. Orchid flowers are distinctive with highly modified sepals and petals.  The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and one petal is often modified to form a landing platform (the lip) for pollinating insects. Many orchid species are epiphytes, growing on trees and shrubs particularly in the tropics.  The orchids of the Carolinas however, are terrestrial growing in forests and fields.  

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens) is a small orchid of the forest understory.  The leaves of this orchid are dark green with white veins making it easy to identify even when not in flower.  During summer, Downy Rattlesnake Plantain sends up a stalk with many small white flowers.  

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain with
its compact white flowers.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain in fall
with old flowers
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) is showy indeed.  In spring this orchid produces a pair of leaves and a flowering stalk with numerous, two-toned flowers.  The hood of the flower is purple and the lip white. These flowers attract the bumblebees that act as pollinators. Showy Orchis is mainly a plant of the mountains and piedmont.  

Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Close up of Showy Orchis flowers.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Crane-fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) is another forest orchid with a striking leaf pattern.  The top of the leaf is green, but flip it over and the bottom is bright purple.  Crane-fly Orchid produces a single leaf in the fall.  This leaf carries out photosynthesis through the colder months but dies and decays by the time of flowering during late summer. 

Crane-fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) leaf. The upper surface is green.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

The lower, purple surface of a Crane-fly Orchid leaf.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Crane-fly orchid plant in winter with last years
dried flower stalk.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale) is a dull name for an interesting plant.  The name refers to a sticky, putty-like substance made by the underground stem, but only a barbarian would dig up such a great plant to see the name-sake putty.  Putty Root grows on the forest floor and makes a single green leaf.  It lacks the purple underside of Crane-fly Orchid but does have parallel while stripes.  The leaf lasts through the winter but fades away in spring when the flowering stalk emerges.   The flowering stalk bears numerous small, green and purple blossoms.  Putty Root often grows beneath forest trees, particularly beech and maple.  

Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale) in flower.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Putty Root flowers as they open in spring.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Putty Root leaf in winter.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes sp) are delicate orchids with white flowers that spiral their way up the stalk.  A number of species occur in our area.  On an October visit to Congaree National Park, South Carolina we found acres of Spiranthes odorata flowering in the flood plain forest of the Congaree River. 

 

Nodding Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes cernua) in flower.
Rowan County, North Carolina.

Fragrant Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes odorata)
Congaree National Park, South Carolina. 

Perhaps the most spectacular orchid in the Carolinas is Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule).  Pink Lady’s Slipper produces a single flower with green and brown petals and sepals.  The lip is modified into a large, hollow, “slipper” that is bright pink.  The flower that towers over the paired, strap-like leaves seems to glow in the woods.  Pink Lady’s Slipper is pollinated by bees attracted to the color and scent of the flower.  When the pollinator enters the pink slipper, it has to crawl past the pollen to exit the flower and carries the pollen to the next flower.  Pink Lady’s Slipper grows mainly in the mountains of the Carolinas but small populations can be found on the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. 

Pink Lady's Slipper.
Blue Ridge Parkway, Watauga County, North Carolina. 

The Orchidaceae (Orchid family) is one of the largest plant families with over 28,000 species worldwide and more than 200 in North America.  Many of these species are endangered or threatened.  One of the threats to orchids in the southeast is White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus).  The deer browse on many forest plants and as deer populations have grown, orchid populations have declined.  Orchids have obligate symbioses with fungi, complex relationships with insect pollinators and an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, scents and colors.  It is always a treat to find the increasingly rare orchids in the wild. 

We would like to thank our good friend Dr. Bethany Sinnott who shares her forest and shows us many wonderful plants, including orchids.  

Fragrant Lady's Tresses.
Congaree National Park, South Carolina.