S. vernalis

Spiranthes vernalis Englemann and Gray by Monica Gupta

Common Names (Chapman, 1997) (Gupton & Swope, 1986)

Spring Ladies Tresses
Narrow-leaved Ladies' Tresses

Higher Taxa (Mabberley, 1987) (Cronquist, 1981)

    Class: Liliopsida
    Order: Orchidales
    Family: Orchidaceae
    Subfamily: Orchidoideae
    Tribe: Neottieae
    Genus: Spiranthes
    Species: vernalis

Identification
Spiranthes vernalis was first described by Engelmann and Gray (Chapman, 1997). Chapman describes Spiranthes vernalis as

Leaves 4-5, 5-15 or up to 25 cm long, long and slender, growing from the base or lower portions of the stem, green, present during flowering. Stem 15-60 cm tall, with minute light colored and pointed hairs on the upper portion, with several sheathing bracts, green. Inflorescence 1/4 - 1/3 of the total stem usually 5-13 cm long, with 25-50 flowers usually densely arranged in a single ranked, spiraled or occasionally one sided on the stem. Flowers about 6mm tall and wide, 8 mm long, tubular, white to off-white with a yellowish center. Sepals 6-9 mm long, narrowly lanced shaped, minutely pubescent, white; petals 6-9 mm long, narrowly oblong, white; dorsal sepals and petals converging to form a tubular hood over the lip, the tips of all three parts curving upward, lateral sepals spread lightly outward; lip 6-8 mm long, egg-shaped with a wavy and raggedly uneven outer margin, tip downturned, yellowish with a wide off-white margin.
(Chapman, 1997)

A sample of Spiranthes vernalis is deposited and can be found at the UGA Herbarium, Athens, Georgia.
This species can be found in a identification key in the following source:
Chapman, William K. 1997. Orchids of the Northeast - A Field Guide. Syracuse University Press. Syracuse, New York. p 75-76.

Geography

Spiranthes vernalis

AREA	STATUS	REFERENCES
North America	Yes	Jones & Coile, 1988
Eastern North America	Yes	Chapman, 1997
Southeastern United States	Yes	Chapman, 1997
Southern Appalachian States	Yes	Chapman, 1997
Coastal Plain	Widespread	UGA Herbarium
Piedmont	Widespread	UGA Herbarium
Blue Ridge Mountains	Yes, probably	Monica Gupta, Pers. Guess
Great Smoky Mtns. National Park	Yes	Chester et al.
Ridge and Valley	Probably	Monica Gupta, Pers. Guess
Cumberland Plateau	Probably	Monica Gupta, Pers. Guess
Central Arch	Probably	Monica Gupta, Pers. Guess
Georgia	Yes	UGA Herbarium
Clarke County, Georgia	Yes	UGA Herbarium
Sams Farm	No	Monica Gupta, Pers. Obs/Guess

Natural History
This species is the earliest of all the ladies' tresses to flower. They are also one of the tallest, and can even approach up to four feet in height (Gupton & Swope, 1986). S. vernalis is often found within coastal zones. If viewed under a hand lens, the flowers are observed to be one of the "hairiest" of ladies' tresses in the northeastern region (Chapman, 1997).

How to Encounter
Spiranthes vernalis can usually be found in damp to moist soils from open meadows, fens or pine barrens. Other habitats include rocky soil, wet pastures, sandy soil, broad shallow roadsides, and moist sandy clay (UGA Herbarium). They may occasionally be found in dryer situations as well. S. vernalis tends to flower around the third week of July to the second week of September and usually experiences its peak early to mid-August (Chapman, 1997).