Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Asparagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Ladies'-tresses from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 049-12-001:
Spiranthes ovalis
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933)
Ibidium ovale
COMMON NAME:
Lesser Ladies'-tresses, Oval Ladies'-tresses, October Ladies'-tresses
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Rusty Wilson fkw_spiranthes_09222019_1
September Greenwood County SC
Ninety Six National Historic Site
Prefers a heavily shaded habitat, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History.
)
Rusty Wilson fkw_spiranthes_09222019_2
September Greenwood County SC
Ninety Six National Historic Site
The 1/4" flowers are aligned in 3 fairly vertical ranks, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History.
)
Rusty Wilson fkw_spiranthes_09222019_3
September Greenwood County SC
Ninety Six National Historic Site
)
Rusty Wilson fkw_spiranthes_09222019_4
September Greenwood County SC
Ninety Six National Historic Site
3 or 4 shiny narrow leaves on lower half of stem are present at flowering, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History.
)
Rusty Wilson fkw_spiranthes_09222019_6
September Greenwood County SC
Ninety Six National Historic Site
)
Jim Fowler jafsovaliserostella_full
September Rutherford County NC
Flowers usually grouped tightly at the top of an 8-10" stem, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History.
)
Jim Fowler jafsovaliserostellata
September Rutherford County NC
)
Keith Bradley kab_s_ovalis_erostel_3920
September Lancaster County SC
Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve
Flowers of this variety are self-pollinating and don't open fully, per Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 049-12-001:
Spiranthes ovalis
FAMILY
Orchidaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933)
Ibidium ovale
1457
Forb
Perennial
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Documented growing wild in GA NC SC
Uncommon (rare in GA, rare in SC Mountains)
Look for it in swamp forests, bottomland forests, hammocks, ravine forests, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a more detailed map from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium,
or click here to see a map from SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White
Bisexual
Bilaterally symmetrical
3 sepals, two lateral and one dorsal
3 petals, the two lateral similar and a third (the lip) enlarged
stamens and pistil fused together into a column
Inferior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States p177
- Wild Orchids of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History p200
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p407
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p028