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Published In: The Genera of North American Plants 2: 195. 1818. (14 Jul 1818) (Gen. N. Amer. Pl.) Name publication detailView in BotanicusView in Biodiversity Heritage Library
 

Project Name Data (Last Modified On 7/9/2009)
Acceptance : Accepted
Project Data     (Last Modified On 7/9/2009)
Status: Native

 

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1. Tipularia discolor (Pursh) Nutt. (crane‑fly orchid)

Pl. 118 g, h; Map 488

Plants with 2 or 3 ovoid, tuberous corms, these usually connected by short rhizomes. Flowering stems 30–60 cm long, with 20–40 flowers in racemes, the stem leaves reduced to a few sheathing bracts. Basal leaf 1, from the terminal corm, the petiole to 4 cm long, the leaf blade 5–10 cm long, ovate‑triangular to heart‑shaped, glabrous, herbaceous, and often somewhat pleated, dark green above, purple beneath. Sepals and lateral petals similar, positioned asymmetrically with 1 petal overlapping the uppermost sepal, 4–8 mm long, narrowly oblanceolate, greenish purple. Lip 4–8 mm long, 3‑lobed, the middle lobe linear with 2 small notches at the tip, pale purple. Spur 15–22 mm. Column 3–4 mm long, white. Stamen 1, staminodes lacking. Capsules pendant, 10–12 mm long, elliptic in outline, not strongly ribbed. July–August.

Uncommon, restricted to Crowley’s Ridge and the rest of the Mississippi Lowlands Division (eastern U.S. west to Texas). Moist soil of mesic forests on stream terraces and on tops of shallow sand dunes.

This species was reported for Missouri relatively recently (Pelton, 1989), and the state is at the northwestern edge of its distribution. There is some evidence that T. discolor is expanding its range in recent years (Homoya, 1993), and it is unknown whether the Missouri colonies are part of this phenomenon.

As in Aplectrum, plants of Tipularia alternate vegetative and reproductive growth. Leaves are produced in the fall and overwinter, generally withering in June as the flowering stems begin elongating. The dangling flowers resemble crane flies, but unlike other orchids, which rememble their pollinators, this species is pollinated by noctuid moths.

 


 

 
 
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