Biology:Isotria medeoloides

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Short description: Species of orchid

Isotria medeoloides
Isotria medeoloides2.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Vanilloideae
Genus: Isotria
Species:
I. medeoloides
Binomial name
Isotria medeoloides

Isotria medeoloides, commonly known as small whorled pogonia or little five leaves, is a terrestrial orchid found in temperate Eastern North America.

Distribution

The orchid's range is from southern Maine south to Georgia and west to southern Ontario, Michigan, and Tennessee . A population was found in Missouri in 1897,[5] but the plant is no longer believed extant there.[6]

It has always been considered a rare species, often legendarily so. It has been called "the rarest orchid east of the Mississippi",[7] and findings of it are covered by the media, such as the one found in Vermont in 2022.[8]

The plant's habitat includes hardwood and conifer-hardwood forests, where it is found in leaf litter along small "braided" intermittent streams. Its native range includes the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes region.

Description

Isotria medeoloides is a rhizomatous herb producing a waxy gray-green stem up to about 25 centimeters tall. The gray-green leaves are up to 8.5 centimeters long by 4 wide and are borne in a characteristic whorl.

The flower has green and green-streaked yellowish petals measuring between 1 and 2 centimeters long.[9]

Conservation

The plant is listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, having been downlisted from endangered status in 1994 as more populations were discovered, and several were given protection.[6] It is listed as an endangered species by most states or provinces within its range.[10] There are about 104 populations known to exist, but most of these are small, containing fewer than 25 plants.[7]

The main threat to the species' existence is the destruction of its habitat.[7] Other threats include wild pigs, off-road vehicles, predation by deer and slugs, vandalism, and collection.[11]

Taxonomy

This orchid is sometimes confused with the common Indian cucumber (Medeola virginiana), which has similar whorled leaves and grows in similar habitat types. The species name medeoloides is a reference to this similarity.[7]

Anecdotal tales of the species only appearing at decades-long intervals do not appear to be supported by field studies. The plant can usually remain dormant for up to three years.[7]

Notes

References

  • Gleason, H.A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.
  • Radis, R.P. 1983. Endangered, Threatened, Vulnerable, and Rare Vascular Plant Species of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Wikidata ☰ Q6086561 entry