The Heartleaf Twayblade Orchid

Photo by Cptcv licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

The heartleaf twayblade is truly a sight for sore eyes.... that is, if you can find it. This diminutive orchid stands no more than 30 cm tall when in bloom and, for much of its life, exists as a single pair of tiny, heart-shaped leaves. Finding this species in bloom has been one of the major highlights of the last few years of botanizing. Getting to see it up close makes me wonder how many times I may have passed it over completely.

A closeup examination of the flowers will reveal what looks like tiny little humanoids. Indeed, the flowers are complex little structures. Tiny trigger hairs located at the base of the pollinia squirt glue on the back of visiting insects, which affixes the pollen sacs or pollinia. One to two days after the pollinia have been removed the stigmas become receptive to pollen. Though this orchid can self fertilize, differential ripening of sexual parts like this helps ensure cross pollination between different individuals.

With flowers so small, it is a wonder that insects can even find them. As it turns out, the flowers emit a foul smelling odor, though one would be hard pressed to detect it having to bend down so close to the forest floor. This attracts a wide variety of small insects like wasps and flies. The most common visitors, however, are fungus gnats. Ever abundant in the moist duff of the forest, these tiny dipterids offer plenty of opportunity for pollination. The orchid even sweetens the deal a bit by producing a small amount of nectar.

Being so small it is quite easy to overlook this plant. One must put in a bit of searching to find them. Their tiny size also means that they are often under-represented in conservation efforts as well. Entire populations can exist in only a few square meters of forest and thus are quite sensitive to disturbance. Timber harvesting and sprawl represent the largest threats the this species but luckily it has a surprisingly large geographic distribution. Still, keep an eye out for this lovely little species. They may be hard to find but they are well worth the effort!

Photo Credit: [1]

Further Reading: [1] [2] [3]

The Round Leaved Orchid

In the northern temperate regions of North America, late June marks the beginning of what I like to call orchid season. If you're lucky you may stumble across one of these rare beauties in full bloom. Their diversity in shape and size are mainly a result of the intricate evolutionary relationships they have formed with their pollinators. I spend much of my time botanizing trying to locate and photograph these botanical curiosities and any time I get to meet a new species is a very special time indeed. 

Take the round leaved orchid (Platanthera orbiculata) for example. For years I have only known this species as two round leaves that are slightly reminiscent of the phaleanopsis orchids you see for sale in nurseries and grocery stores. The leaves can be quite large too. With their glossy appearance, they are the easiest way to locate this plant.

When conditions are right and the plants have enough stored energy they will begin to flower. Rising from the middle of the pair of leaves is a decent sized inflorescence loaded with greenish white flowers. The flowers are interesting structures. Not particularly colorful, they have a long white lip and considerable green nectar spurs. There are said to be two varieties of this species, each being characterized by the length of the nectar spur. Unlike many orchids that offer no reward to pollinators, P. orbiculata produces nectar. The flowers are pollinated by noctuid moths, which is probably why they are white in color. Whereas most lepidopteran pollinated orchid attach their pollinia to the proboscis of the butterfly or moth, P. orbiculata attaches its pollinia to the eyes of visiting moths. 

If this isn't strange enough, the pollinia themselves have some of their own intriguing adaptations. Visiting moths take a certain amount of time to successfully access the nectar from the nectar spur. If the plant is to avoid wasting precious pollen on itself, then it must find a way to delay this process. The pollinia are the solution to this. When first attached to the eyes, the pollinia stick straight up. This keeps them away from the female parts of the plant as the moth feeds. Only after enough time has elapsed will the stalks of the pollinia begin to bend forward. At this point the moth will hopefully have moved on to the flowers of an unrelated individual. Pointing straight forward, they are now perfectly positioned to transfer pollen. 

Like all orchids, P. orbiculata relies on specialized mycorrhizal fungi for germination and survival. At the beginning of its life, P. orbiculata relies solely on the fungi for sustenance. Once it has enough energy to produce leaves it will repay the fungi by providing carbohydrates. However, the relationship is not over at this point. Every spring, P. orbiculata produces a new set of leaves as well as a whole new root system. The fungi supply a lot of energy for this process and if the plant is disturbed (ie. dug up by greedy poachers) or browsed upon, it is likely that it will not recover from the stress and it will die. The mycorrhizal fungi it relies on live on rotting wood so finding well rotted logs is a good place to start searching for this species. With declining populations throughout much of its range, it is important to remember to enjoy it where it grows. Leave wild orchids in the wild!

Further Reading: [1] [2] [3] [4]

In Search of the Orange Fringed Orchid

In Defense of Plants is finally back for another exciting botanical adventure! This week we explore another wonderful sand prairie in search of one of North America's most stunning terrestrial orchids - the orange fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris). Along the way, we meet a handful of great native plant species that are at home in these sandy soils.

Music by: 
Artist: Eyes Behind the Veil
Track: Folding Chair
Album: Besides
https://eyesbehindtheveil.bandcamp.com/