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Orchidaceae
Ragged Fringed Orchid
Platanthera lacera
Delicate wilderness.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Platanthera
- Native to
- Eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial terrestrial orchid
- Height
- 1-2.5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- moist, acidic, boggy or wet meadow
- Water
- moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 3-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- The lip petal is deeply fringed into a ragged lacework of threads, giving the flower a uniquely intricate appearance among North American orchids.
- It is pollinated exclusively by noctuid moths, which are guided to the nectar spur by the flower's faint, sweet nighttime fragrance.
- The genus Platanthera contains the bog orchids and rein orchids, all of which rely on specific moth or bee pollinators that match their nectar spur length.
- Like most native terrestrial orchids, ragged fringed orchid forms a symbiotic mycorrhizal relationship with soil fungi and cannot survive without it.
- It hybridizes with related fringed orchids (such as Platanthera lacera × grandiflora) wherever species' ranges overlap, making identification challenging.
Color meanings
0
fragility
1
intricate beauty
2
hidden worlds