Platanthera nivea (Nutt.) Luer 1972

Colony

Inflorescence

Inflorescence Perspective

Photos by Jim Fowler and his P-Base Orchid North American Orchid Website

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Common Name The Snowy Platanthera

Flower Size 3/8" [1 cm]

A medium sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with 2 to 3 lanceolate leaves from New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Viginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas growing in swamps, pine barrens and wet grasslands with 2 to 3 green, lanceolate, keeled, conduplicate, basally clasping leaves grading into bracts above that blooms in the late spring through early fall on a terminal, erect, 8 to 20" [20 to 50 cm] long, many flowered, racemose, cylindric inflorescence with green, lanceolate, slightly longer than the ovary florla bracts and carrying very fragrant flowers.

Synonyms Gymnadenia conica Lindl. 1835; Habenaria nivea [Nutt.]Lindley 1826; Gymnadenia nivea [Nutt.] Lindley 1835; Gymnadeniopsis nivea [Nutt.] Rybd. 1901; *Orchis nivea Nutt. 1818; Peristylus niveus (Nutt.) Kraenzl. 1898;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Studies in the Family Orchidaceae Vol 4 Ames 1910 as Habenaria nivea; Native Orchids of North America Correll 1950 as Habenaria nivea drawing fide; Drawings of Florida Orchids Blanche Ames 1959 as Habenaris nivea Drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Habenaria nivea drawing ok; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 4 193 to 256 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1971 as Gymnadeniopsis nivea; The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada Luer 1975 drawing/photos fide; The Native Orchids of Florida Luer 1972 drawing/photos fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 6 1981 photo ok ; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 11 2004 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 1 2006 drawing as Habenaria nivea fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #7 2011 photo fide;

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