Calopogon tuberosus

Common Names

Tuberous Grass Pink, Grass Pink, Grass Pink Orchid, Swamp Pink

Summary

Calopogon tuberosus, commonly called tuberous grass pink, is a terrestrial orchid with underground tuberous corms and a single grass-like leaf, native to eastern North America, it occurs in wetlands such as bogs, fens, swamps, and moist meadows with acidic soils, it bears a terminal spike of 1-25 pink to magenta flowers (occasionally white) that are non-resupinate, with an upper lip ending in an anvil-shaped tip fringed with yellow-tipped bristles, and a hinged lip that lures bees during pollination, in cultivation, it requires consistently moist to wet, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade, and can tolerate a range of soils when drainage is adequate, amendments of sand and peat help drainage, it is hardy in USDA zones 3-9 and can be grown in bog gardens, rain gardens, or containers, with corms propagating by separation, avoid collecting wild plants and purchase nursery-propagated stock to support sustainable populations

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

2-4 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3a-9b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun. Tolerates Partial Shade to Partial Sun.

Soil Type

Calopogon tuberosus grows in moist, acidic soil in wetlands (bogs and fens).

Soil Drainage

Wet, poorly drained soils (boggy), such as bogs, fens, swamps.

Soil pH

Acidic to neutral

Bloom Color

Pink to magenta, with occasional white

Bloom Time

Spring to Summer

Foliage Color

Green

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees