Platanthera psycodes f. albiflora (R.Hoffm.) R.E.Whiting & Catling
Platanthera psycodes f. ecalcarata (M.M.Bryan) P.M.Br.
Platanthera psycodes f. rosea P.M.Br.
Platanthera psycodes f. varians (M.M.Bryan) P.M.Br.
Platanthera psycodes is a species in the orchid family, Orchidaceae, commonly called the lesser purple fringed orchid or small purple-fringed orchid.
Description
Vegetative morphology
The plants are 14–101 cm tall with 3–5 leaves, each 5–22 cm long and 1.5–7 cm wide.
Floral morphology
The flowers are arranged in a raceme at the end of the stem and vary in number from 30 to 50. Depending on the length of the inflorescence, which varies from 8–12 cm (or sometimes longer), the flowers may be densely- or loosely-arranged. Flowers vary in color from lavender to rose-purple or sometimes white. The dorsal petal, called the lip, is 5–13 mm long, 5–17 mm wide, points downward, and has three deeply-fringed lobes. The lateral petals and dorsal sepal point upward, and the two lateral sepals curve backward and point toward the stem.
front view of a flower, showing the column
side view of a flower, showing the slendar nectar spur
back view of a flower
Similar species
Platanthera psycodes is often confused with its relative, P. grandiflora. The most important characteristic separating the two species is the shape and orientation of reproductive structures in the column, reflecting different pollination strategies. In P. psycodes, the pollinia are held close together are nearly parallel, and are obscured from the sides by wing-like structures; in P. psycodes, the column is larger, the viscidia of the pollinia are widely spaced and outwardly rotated, and the pollinia are visible from a side view. Moreover, the opening to the nectary is oblong and sometimes partially divided in P. psycodes but circular and undivided in P. grandiflora. The result is that the pollinia are deposited near the base of a pollinator's proboscis by P. psycodes and on a pollinator's eyes by P. grandiflora.
the hybrid P. × andrewsii with intermediate morphology between its parents, P. lacera and P. psycodes
P. grandiflora generally has larger flowers (lip or labellum 10 to 25 millimetres (1⁄3 to 1in) long) compared to P. psycodes which has smaller flowers (the labellum measuring from 5 to 13 millimetres (1⁄4 to 1⁄2in) long). P. grandiflora has a much more restricted range and where the two species do overlap in range, they are phenotypically separated, with P. grandiflora typically blooming from late June through early July while P. psycodes blooms from late July through early August.
Taxonomy
The specific epithetpsycodes is a misspelling of psychodes, which means "butterfly-like", probably alluding to the shape of the flowers.
Like many other orchids it is a plant of wet habitats: sedge meadows, flatwoods, sphagnum bogs, cedar or alder swamps, on stream edges or the moist edges of coniferous forests. It is occasionally found in wet swales adjoining freshwater sandy beaches. Preferring cooler habitats, its range is being pushed northwards as global temperatures warm. Correll refers to locations of 1,500-foot (460m) altitudes in Vermont, 4,000-foot (1,200m) altitudes in Virginia and 6,500-foot (2,000m) altitudes in North Carolina and Tennessee.
123Argue, Charles L. (2012). The pollination biology of North American orchids: North of Florida and Mexico. Life sciences. Vol.1. New York: Springer. ISBN978-1-4614-0592-4.
↑Stoutamire, Warren P. (1974). "Relationships of the purple-fringed orchids Platanthera Psycodes and P. grandiflora". Brittonia. 26 (1): 42–58. doi:10.2307/2805919. JSTOR2805919. S2CID23029930.
Correll, Donovan S.. Native Orchids of North America North of Mexico. Waltham: Chronica Botanica Co.. 1950
Stoutamire, Warren P. (1974). "Relationships of the purple-fringed orchids Platanthera Psycodes and P. grandiflora". Brittonia. 26 (1): 42–58. doi:10.2307/2805919. JSTOR2805919. S2CID23029930.
front view of a flower, showing the column
side view of a flower, showing the slendar nectar spur
back view of a flower.jpg)
.jpg){kind=small}