Prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea)
Description
Platanthera leucophaea arises from a fleshy tuber. The plant can grow up to three feet (91 cm) tall. The leaves are long and thin. The inflorescence is large and showy and may have up to 40 white flowers. It is distinguished from Platanthera praeclara, the western prairie fringed orchid, by its smaller flowers (less than one inch (2.5 cm) long), more oval petals, and a shorter nectar spur. The eastern prairie fringed orchid is a long-lived perennial. Its tuberous rootstalk helps it survive grass fires. Fires and rain stimulate the plant to grow and flower. The plant emerges each year in May and flowering begins by late June. The flowers are pollinated at night by large sphinx moths. Certain night-flying insects that are attracted to the orchid's fragrance are able to obtain its nectar with their long probosces. Others cannot because of the flower's long, narrow, oddly positioned nectar spur.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Asparagales
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Family: Orchidaceae
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Genus: Platanthera
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