Spiranthes ochroleuca — yellow ladies'-tresses
![Flowers: Spiranthes ochroleuca. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/spiranthes-ochroleuca-fl-ahaines.jpg)
![Flowers: Spiranthes ochroleuca. ~ By Gordon Morrison. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/spiranthes-ochroleuca-fl-gmorrison.jpg)
![Leaves: Spiranthes ochroleuca. ~ By Tom Harville. ~ Copyright © 2024 Tom Harville. ~ tomhar[at]bellsouth.net ~ North Carolina Native Plant Society - www.ncwildflower.org/index.php/site/](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/spiranthes-ochroleuca-le-tharville1.jpg)
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Facts
Yellow ladies'-tresses inhabits open, dry to wet sites of various kinds, and it is found throughout New England. It could most easily be confused with nodding ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes cernua).
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), grassland, meadows and fields, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands), woodlands
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- 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 spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Lower petal characteristics
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal length
- 7–12 mm
- Sepal length
- 6–14 mm
-
Flowers
- Flower petal color
-
- green
- white
- yellow
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Flowering date
-
- August
- October
- September
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum does not have a pouch-like shape
- Hairs on flower stalk
- NA
- Hairs on inflorescence axis
- at least some of the hairs on the main stem of the inflorescence have glands
- Inflorescence length
- 75–120 mm
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Labellum position
- the labellum is in the lower position on the flower
- Length of flower stalk
- 0 mm
- Length of narrowed base of lower petal
- 0.8–1.5 mm
- Lobes at base of lower petal
- 0 mm
- Lower petal characteristics
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal length
- 7–12 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 are angled steeply upwards
- the lateral petals slant somewhat downward
- Self-pollinating flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on this plant
- Sepal length
- 6–14 mm
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Shape of viscidium
- the viscidium is long and narrow
- Spots on lower petal
- no
- Spur opening membrane
- NA
- Spur opening shape
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- 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
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
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
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- 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
- 50–210 mm
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- Leaf blade tip
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- Leaf blade width
- Up to 20 mm
- Leaves during flowering
- there are leaves on the plant when it is flowering
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of wetlands
- grasslands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- swamps
- woodlands
Wetland status
Not classified
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
- unrankable (S-rank: SU), Ind (code: Ind)
- Rhode Island
- concern (code: C)
- Vermont
- uncommon (S-rank: S3)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
5. Spiranthes ochroleuca (Rydb.) Rydb. N
yellow ladies’-tresses. Gyrostachys ochroleuca Rydb. in Britt.; Spiranthes cernua (L.) L.C. Rich. var. ochroleuca (Rydb.) Ames • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Open, xeric to hydric sites, including roadsides, borrowpits, woodland openings, fields, and sandy, acid wetlands with a shallow horizon of peat. Rarely this orchid can have a relatively open, spirally secund inflorescence (see discussion under S. cernua).
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Spiranthes cernua:
- abaxial surface of labellum white to very pale yellow, with highly reduced, conical glands, and maximum separation of lateral sepals from dorsal sepal mostly 0.1–0.5 mm (vs. S. ochroleuca, with abaxial surface of the labellum yellow, with rounded glands, and maximum separation of lateral sepals from dorsal sepal mostly 0.5–1.1 mm).
Synonyms
- Gyrostachys ochroleuca Rydb. in Britt.
- Spiranthes cernua (L.) L.C. Rich. var. ochroleuca (Rydb.) Ames