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Orchidaceae
Lady's Tresses Orchid
Spiranthes spiralis
Mystery and enchantment.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Spiranthes
- Native to
- Europe, North Africa, Western Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- perennial
- Height
- 4-12 in
- Sunlight
- full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- well-drained, calcareous grassland
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 5-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- The tiny white flowers spiral around the stem like a braided tress of hair, giving the orchid its poetic common name.
- It is one of the last orchids to bloom in the European year, often flowering in September and October.
- Lady's Tresses is a mycorrhizal orchid that depends on specific soil fungi to germinate and grow, making it difficult to cultivate.
- The spiral can twist either clockwise or counterclockwise, and both directions can appear in the same population.
- Despite being widespread, it is declining across Europe due to the loss of old, unimproved grasslands to modern agriculture.
Color meanings
0
enchantment
1
mystery
2
feminine grace