''Spiranthes infernalis'', common name Ash Meadows lady's tresses, is a rare 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 from only four locations in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, all close to one another. The type locale is inside

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge located in the Amargosa Valley of southern Nye County, in southwestern Nevada. It is directly east of Death Valley National Park, and is west-northwest of Las Vegas.

, in Nye County approximately WNW of

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. The site is a seasonally

wet meadow A wet meadow is a type of wetland with soils that are Solubility, saturated for part or all of the growing season which prevents the growth of trees and brush. Debate exists whether a wet meadow is a type of marsh or a completely separate type of ...

. The epithet ''infernalis'' means "of the underworld" or "of the nether regions", in reference to the extremely hot climate of the region.

Description

''Spiranthes infernalis'' is a terrestrial herb up to 40 cm (16 inches) tall. It has tuberous roots. Leaves are lanceolate, up to 15 cm (6 inches) long. The flowers are yellowish-white with an orange lip, borne in a tightly spiralled spike.Sheviak, C. J. 1989. A new ''Spiranthes'' (Orchidaceae) from Ash Meadows, Nevada. Rhodora 91: 225–234.
/ref>Calphotos, James Andre, University of California, Berkeley
/ref>

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q12237623 Flora of Nevada infernalis Endemic orchids of the United States