Long-bracted Orchis

(Coeloglossum viride)

 

   

 

Color Drawing: G.C. Oeder et al., 1761-1874. Flora Danica.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Long-bracted Orchis (Coeloglossum viride [L.] Harman)

Identification: Flowers green, small. Lower petal bifid at the tip. Rear flower spur present, but reduced to a small bulb. Top "petal" concave, helmet-shaped. Flowers in a terminal spike. Flowers interspersed with long, leaflike flower bracts. Stem green. Leaves found all along the stem, increasing in size from top to the base of the plant. Plant 6 to 20 inches in height.

Distribution: Across Canada, southward to New England, Minnesota, and the Great Lakes states, southward in the mountains to Tennessee and North Carolina. Occurs in the Rocky Mountains States. Also found in northern Europe and Asia.

Habitat: Long-bracted Orchis is found in bogs, wet forest, and thickets.

Flowering period: June to August.

Similar Species: The interspersal of green flowers and long, large flower bracts should readily identify this species.

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