Date: June 17, 2022. Location: Johnson Co. Conservation
| Classification Hierarchy | |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Clade | Tracheophyta |
| Clade | Angiosperms |
| Clade | Monocots |
| Order | Asparagales |
| Family | Orchidaceae |
| Genus | Platanthera |
| Species | Platanthera flava |
Date: June 17, 2022. Location: Johnson Co. Conservation
BONAP, FNA, ITIS, USDA, VPI, NGPH
Scientific Name: Platanthera_flava
Synonym: Habenaria flava - (tubercled orchid)
Common Name: palegreen orchid, Northern Tubercled Bog Orchid
Origin: Native
Notes: This plant is on the list of endangered species in the state of Iowa. It can be easy to miss! Except for the herbarium photos, the photos on this page were made in the field from a colony of some 200 individuals, The colony hadn't been noticed until 2022; despite the fact that numerous botanists had been watching this prairie site for more than 30 years.
Additional references: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Flowers: The distinctive feature that identifies this species is the obvious tubercle located in the middle of the labellum near the back. From the rear of the tubercle a ridge continues along the base of the labellum and continues to the throat of the nectar tube (spur). The ridge divides the large central opening to the nectar tube into two smaller openings on opposite sides of the tube. Thus, the tubercle and the ridge cause potential pollinators to stand in a position favorable to the plants dispersal or reception of pollen.
Leaves: slightly glossy and elliptic (pointed at both ends); veins parallel with a prominent mid-vein with eight or nine minor veins on either side of it. For further details, check the FNA link above and the additional references #1.
Glossaries of botanical terms: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
