Spiranthes cernua - a native orchid

[Tigger]

This is blooming its heads off this year. It's supposed to be fragrant (sold to me as the Chadds Ford cultivar), but I just get a faint smell that's not particularly pleasant. Maybe a little vanilla-y. Maybe on a warmer day it would smell better, or maybe, like some orchids, it smells more at different times of the day.

This is hardy to zone 3 according to Plant Delights. I have it on the edge of the bog in normal soil.

DH picked a couple of stems so you can see the "spiral" effect, here with a couple of tired hosta leaves.


Here's a nice article I found about the plant: http://www.sunfarm.com/picks/spiranthes ... 4020.phtml

[impatience]

Sounds like a nice plant and yours is lovely. Where does one find such a plant?

[tsneal]

How neat!!

[JoshS]

Very cool!

I tried growing this once, but it never returned. Maybe too dry...I should try again.

How much sun does your plant get?

[Tigger]

Impatience: Plant Delights sells it, among others. It increases fairly well, despite the abuse I've shown it. We got ours at a university plant sale that features a lot of natives.

Josh: this gets summer sun from 9 to 2 (and open shade past that), but had previously been in dappled shade and done o.k. It does want moisture, though. The leaves are very fleshy. It looks like a weedy grass for most of the year; I have to warn my landscape crew not to weed-whack it.