Your help is appreciated. We depend on donations to help keep this site free and up to date for you. Can you please help us?

Donate

Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Liparis loeselii — Loesel's wide-lipped orchid

Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.

Facts

Loesel's wide-lipped orchid has a wide distribution in North America, Europe and Asia, but is apparently uncommon to rare in most of its range. It is found in moist to wet open soils in meadows, fens, shorelines and disturbed areas. Hydrology may be the most inportant factor in limiting growth and reproduction in this species.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), fens, lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.

North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

enlarge

Characteristics

Habitat
  • terrestrial
  • wetlands
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Leaf arrangement
basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
Number of leaves on stem
absent
Form of lower petal
the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
Lower petal outline
the labellum is simple in form
Main color of lower petal
  • green to brown
  • white
  • yellow
Nectar spur
there are no nectar spurs on the flower
Inflorescence type
the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
Lower petal characteristics
the labellum is simple in form
Lower petal length
4–5.5 mm
Sepal length
4.5–6 mm
Show all characteristics

  • Flowers

    Flower petal color
    • green
    • yellow
    Flower symmetry
    there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
    Flowering date
    • July
    • June
    Flowers per inflorescence
    2–15
    Form of lower petal
    the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
    Hairs on inflorescence axis
    the main stem of the inflorescence is hairless
    Inflorescence length
    20–100 mm
    Inflorescence type
    the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
    Labellum position
    the labellum is in the lower position on the flower
    Length of flower stalk
    3–5 mm
    Length of peduncle
    60–250 mm
    Lower petal characteristics
    the labellum is simple in form
    Lower petal length
    4–5.5 mm
    Lower petal outline
    the labellum is simple in form
    Lower petal strongly red-veined
    no
    Main color of lower petal
    • green to brown
    • white
    • yellow
    Nectar spur
    there are no nectar spurs on the flower
    Nectar spur length
    0 mm
    Number of stamens
    1
    Orientation of side petals
    the lateral petals slant somewhat downward
    Self-pollinating flowers
    there are no cleistogamous flowers on this plant
    Sepal length
    4.5–6 mm
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    the sepals are separate from one another
    Spots on lower petal
    no
    Spur opening membrane
    NA
    Spur opening shape
    NA

  • Fruits or seeds

    Fruit length
    9–13 mm
    Fruit width
    3–6 mm
    Seed capsule orientation
    the capsule points upwards or is angled outwards

  • Growth form

    Plant green or not
    the plant is chlorophyllous (it has green parts)
    Roots
    the rhizomes do not resemble coral
    Underground organs
    • the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
    • there are only slender roots on the plant
    • this plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)

  • Leaves

    Bract relative length
    the bract is shorter than the associated flower
    Features of leaves
    the leaf does not have any of the mentioned special features
    Leaf arrangement
    basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
    Leaf blade edges
    the edges of the leaf blade have no teeth
    Leaf blade length
    37–180 mm
    Leaf blade length to width ratio
    3.7–4.5
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
    Leaf blade tip
    • the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
    • the tip of the leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
    Leaf blade width
    10–40 mm
    Leaves during flowering
    there are leaves on the plant when it is flowering
    Number of bracts on stem
    0
    Number of leaves on stem
    absent

  • Place

    Habitat
    • terrestrial
    • wetlands
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • fens
    • in lakes or ponds
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
    • shores of rivers or lakes

Wetland status

Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Massachusetts
fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
New Hampshire
rare (S-rank: S2), threatened (code: T)
Rhode Island
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), state endangered (code: SE)
Vermont
uncommon (S-rank: S3)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

2.  Liparis loeselii (L.) L.C. Rich. N

Loesel’s wide-lipped orchid. Leptorchis loeselii (L.) MacM.; Liparis correana (W. Bart.) Spreng.; Malaxis correana W. Bart.; M. loeselii (L.) Sw.; Orchis loeselii L. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Mesic 
to hydric, open soils of meadows, fens, shorelines, and disturbed places such as abandoned borrow pits and cleared rights-of-way.

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Liparis liliifolia:
labellum brown-purple, 8–12 mm long, and fruiting pedicel 11–18 mm long, nearly as long as or slightly longer than the capsule (vs. L. loeselii, with the labellum green to yellow-green or yellow-white, 4–5.5 mm long, and fruiting pedicel 3–7 mm long, shorter than the capsule).

Synonyms

  • Leptorchis loeselii (L.) MacM.
  • Liparis correana (W. Bart.) Spreng.
  • Malaxis correana W. Bart.
  • Malaxis loeselii (L.) Sw.
  • Orchis loeselii L.

Family

Orchidaceae

Genus

Liparis