Living in the Dunes
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NORTH CHAPTER
Family: Orchidaceae (orchid family)
Duration: Perennial
Height: 6 - 25 cm (2.4 - 10 in)
Blooming: May - July
Yellow wide-lip orchid
Liparis loeselii (L.) Rich.
Stem: erect sometimes slightly winged. It is yellowish to pale green.
Flowers: yellow to pale green. Aged flowers turn white with a slight yellow to green tinge. Small flowers lack a spur and do not grow more than 2 cm (0.8 in) long. The lip is 4-6 mm (0.15-0.26 in) long. There can be up to 19 small flowers on one stalk.
Leaves: one leaf in sterile plants and two in fertile ones. The clasping leaves can get quite big, relatively speaking, growing as large as 20 cm (8 in) long and 8 cm (3.1 in) wide. They are usually slightly folded lengthwise tapering to a wide, blunt point. The leaves are green and glossy.
Fruit: several erect capsules longer than the pedicels.
DO NOT PICK ORCHIDS!
SOURCES & FURTHER RESOURCES:
Consortium of Midwest Herbaria - Liparis loeselii
Michigan Flora - Liparis loeselii
Argue, C.L., 2011. The Pollination Biology of North American Orchids: Volume 2: North of Florida and Mexico. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 202.
Comments: Yellow wide-lip orchid is also commonly called Loesel's twayblade. This species occurs in wetlands whereas the other native twayblad, Liparis liliifolia, is restricted to uplands. The latter is also self-incompatible, whereas the yellow wide-lip orchid is self-compatible. Only three species occur in the whole of North America north of Mexico with one restricted to Florida.
Yellow wide-lip orchid is on Indiana's state watch list.
Etymology: The genus, Liparis, is derived from the Greek word, liparos, meaning "oily" or "greasy". The specific epithet is derived from the German botanist, Johann Lösel.
all photos by Nathanael Pilla
