Hi from Austin! I’m in Texas for a few days, visiting my sister and nieces. My older niece turns four in a few days. FOUR! How time flies. Anyway, in honor of my visit to TX, I selected an orchid native to the state: Spiranthes cernua, aka the Nodding Ladies’ Tresses orchid. Everything is bigger in Texas? Not so when it comes to this orchid:
These flowers are only about a centimeter in size. So cute!
As a bonus for me, this orchid also happens to be native to Missouri, my home state. Next time I’m at home I’ll have to do some orchid hunting. In fact, this orchid grows wild in over half the states in the U.S., mainly in the midwest, south, and northeast. So you may be able to find them in your hometown!
The leaves are thin, upright, and look like grass, so when the plants aren’t in bloom it can be easy to mistake them for the plain old green stuff.
What type of orchids grow wild in your hometown?
2 comments
We have lots of orchids native to Florida (including Spiranthes cernua and the related S. odorata – which this more likely is). You can read about many of Florida’s orchids on my blog at:
The Florida Native Orchid Blog
—Prem
Nice blog! The ghost orchid is so amazing!