Coeloglossum viride, Bracted Green Orchid

This is the elusive orchid long known as Habenaria viridis var. bracteata. More recently it has been called Coeloglossum viride var. virescens or var. bracteata, and now the USDA Plants database lists it as Dactylorhiza viridis. Common names include Bracted Green Orchid, Frog Orchid, and Satyr Orchid. Indiana’s legendary botanist Charles Deam found it in several counties, mostly in the northeast part of the state with outliers in west-central Indiana. It is listed as "threatened" in Indiana, and many authors say that it normally occurs as a single plant only.
The dorsal and lateral sepals of this orchid arch and converge to form a sort of hood above the column and lip. Viewed from above, it looks like the flowers are in bud but not opened. But if you put your face down by the ground and look up at the inflorescence, you can see into the open flowers! There is another greenish orchid with long bracts in the inflorescence: Platanthera flava. Care must be exercised when identifying either species; the morphology of the lip is perhaps the best field feature.

Scott Namestnik and I had the good fortune of seeing this plant in a state of FGB (full, glorious bloom) yesterday in a forest of hills and ravines near the Salamonie River. It is a challenge to find Coeloglossum in Indiana, and we owe a special debt of gratitude to Pete Grube, Jerry Sweeten, and Dave Hicks for helping us find it. The excellent discovery of this population was made by Tim Kimmel.

Remarkably, while I was attempting to get photos, Scott went exploring and found a small, sterile plant that could be a seedling of this orchid. Amazing! Of course, it could be something else, possibly a Liparis.

One of the best experiences for a botanist or a student of the flora is to visit a new site and learn lots of new species This is what happened on Sunday, and it was profoundly enjoyable!

Purple Fringed Orchid, Habenaria psycodes

Rare and local, this remarkable plant can still be found in quality swamp forests and open, wet meadows. It is now called Platanthera psycodes. If you have never looked into the intriguing mechanisms orchids use for pollination, you are in for a treat. Two excellent books for midwestern orchids are, "Orchids of the Western Great Lakes Region" by Frederick Case, and "Orchids of Indiana," by Michael Homoya, with stunning photos by Lee Casebere.

Platanthera ciliaris

To continue with the Platanthera theme, I had a real treat on Saturday to get to see Orange Fringed Orchid blooming in southern Jasper County at Fisher Oak Savanna. This is a recently discovered population. There were at least nine flowers growing in a forested wetland. It felt special to get to see them blooming.

Purple Fringed Orchid!

This tall and stately orchid is occasional in high-quality swamp forests behind the Indiana Dunes. It tends to grow in wet, mucky ground where Skunk Cabbage and Marsh Marigold put on a show earlier. It is also found in open, wet meadows. Populations fluctuate from year to year, but if you go to a known spot and search, it is sometimes possible to find a few.

Habenaria/Platanthera psycodes (Purple Fringed Orchid)

Xyridaceae

Xyris difformis from pin hook bog. I decided that the plant was difformis and not X. torta as the stems and leaves did not seem twisted and the leaves were typically larger than 2mm. I saw this beauty growing in pinhook bog with Rhychospera alba, Hypericum viriginicum, Sarracenia purpurea, Eriophorum sp., and Drosera rotundifolia. Early this year this same spot was covered with Pogonia ophioglossoides.

Scott, Jenny Allison, and I also found Habenaria ciliaris which was the main reason for the trip. There was only the one flowering individual able to be seen from the boardwalk on this trip despite the presence of other basal leaves in the area. This was the first time it had been seen this year.