''Platanthera unalascensis'' is a species of
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
known by the common names slender-spire orchid, Alaska piperia and Alaska rein orchid. It is native to much of western North America from
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
to the southwestern United States, as well as eastern sections of Canada and the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
. It can be found in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat, often in dry areas. This orchid grows erect to about in maximum height. The basal leaves are up to 15 centimeters long by 4 wide (). Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a slender, spikelike
inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
of widely spaced translucent green flowers. The flowers are fragrant in the evenings, with a musky, soapy, or honeylike scent.
[Flora of North America]
/ref> The plant is variable in size, stem thickness, density of inflorescence, petal shape, and scent.[ Plants of the coast ranges and the Pacific Northwest are stouter and have broader sepals and petals than do interior and montane forms.][C.Michael Hogan, ed. 2010.]
''Piperia unalascensis''. Comprehensive Description section, Missouri Botanical Gardens. Encyclopedia of Life
/ref>
References
External links
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Jepson Manual Treatment
USDA Plants Profile
Photo gallery
unalascensis
Orchids of Canada
Orchids of the United States
Flora of Alaska
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Orchidoideae-stub