Platanthera clavellata
A North American wetland orchid, 6–18 inches tall, with a single large leaf on the lower half of a glabrous stem, a short raceme of pale green to white flowers with a long club-shaped spur, blooming June to September in bogs, marshes, and wet woods, and capable of self-pollination.
Common Names
Club-Spur Orchid, Small Green Wood Orchid, Small Woodland Orchid, Green Woodland Orchid, Little Club Spur Bog Orchid
Summary
Platanthera clavellata, commonly called Small Green Wood Orchid or Club-Spur Orchid, is a North American native orchid occurring from eastern Canada to the eastern United States. It is a small, unbranched, glabrous herb reaching about 8–47 cm tall, with a single basal leaf and 1–2 smaller leaves above the stem. The inflorescence is a short, moderately dense raceme bearing pale green to dull yellowish-green flowers that may be resupinate; a long club-shaped nectar spur (7–13 mm) extends from the back, and the lip is oblong with a hood-like arrangement formed by the upper petals and sepals. The plant flowers in summer and grows in wet, mossy habitats such as sphagnum bogs, sphagnous seeps and meadows, wet sandy and peaty meadows, marshes, low woods, wet prairies, and roadsides from sea level to about 2000 m; it is one of the smallest and least colorful wetland orchids, often overlooked, with a broad eastern range. In cultivation and practical management, it favors moist, acidic soils under partial shade to sun and is associated with boggy wetland habitats; seeds are wind-dispersed, but germination requires specific mycorrhizal fungi (Eupulorhiza inquilina), and transplanting is difficult. Pollination is likely by moths, though autogamy can occur, and occasional hybrids with P. blephariglottis (P. × vossii) have been documented. Global status is secure (G5) with regional rarity in places such as Illinois and Florida; conservation aims emphasize maintaining hydrology and biotic community structure to protect populations, while the species can be included in native wetland plantings and conservation contexts where habitats remain suitable.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3-18.5 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones not specified in sources
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally partial shade.
Soil Type
Wet, waterlogged, peaty soils
Soil Drainage
Wet, poorly drained soils.
Soil pH
Acidic soil
Bloom Color
Greenish white
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Unknown
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Not specified
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds; no vegetative propagation
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts moths
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Michx.) Luer
- Publication
- Native Orchids Florida : 148 (1972)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Platanthera
Synonyms
Orchis clavellata Orchis tridentata Peristylus clavellatus Platanthera clavellata var. ophioglossoides Platanthera clavellata f. slaughteri Gymnadenia tridentata var. clavellata Habenaria clavellata var. wrightii Gymnadeniopsis clavellata f. wrightii Gymnadenia tridentata Gymnadeniopsis clavellata Habenaria clavellata Habenaria maritima Habenaria tridentata Orchis clavellata var. tridentata Denslovia clavellata Gymnadeniopsis clavellata var. ophioglossoides Habenaria clavellata var. ophioglossoides