Niklas' ladies' tresses
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Spiranthes
Species:
S. niklasii
Binomial name
Spiranthes niklasii
M. C. Pace

Spiranthes niklasii, Niklas' ladies' tresses, is a terrestrial orchid nearly endemic to the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and Oklahoma with a few other known populations.[1]

Description

Spiranthes niklasii plants look very similar to Spiranthes cernua and an ancient hybrid origin between that and Spiranthes ovalis seems likely. They can grow to a height of up to 41 cm and have one or two basal leaves. Unlike either of the two parent species leaves usually wilt away by the time it has flowers. Another difference is that the labellum of each flower has a small patch of papillae (small protrusions) along its center.[1]

Distribution and habitat

The only known populations are in Arkansas and Oklahoma, mainly in the Ouachita Mountains. They grow in xeric graminoid clearings and forest edges.[1]

Taxonomy

Spiranthes niklasii was described as a new species by M. C. Pace in 2017.[2] The name was chosen in honor of botanist Karl J. Niklas.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (27 December 2017). "The Systematics of the Spiranthes cernua Species Complex (Orchidaceae): Untangling the Gordian Knot". Systematic Botany. 42 (4): 640–669. doi:10.1600/036364417x696537. S2CID 90432295.
  2. ↑ "Spiranthes niklasii". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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