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Cranefly Orchid
Tipularia discolor

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Cranefly Orchid

Similar to Puttyroot is the Cranefly Orchid, which is most noticeable in the winter. The oddly puckered leaves, green above and purple below, first appear in late fall/early winter and persist throughout the winter. The leaves die back completely before the flower stalk emerges in late spring to summer. The flowers are small and delicate, purple-green, with a long narrow spur about 3/4" long. This native orchid also grows in mid- to low elevation in deciduous forest. The flower stalks can be very hard to spot, tending to fade into the shadows under the leaf canopy, but it is actually a fairly common orchid.It is also the mascot of the Georgia Botanical Society, where I first learned of it.

A note on the nomenclature (naming conventions) on this site: Scientific names and classifications are constantly being argued and changed, and it drives me nuts. Although I use many different sources for knowledge, for naming consistency  I  use the  "Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas" by Radford, Ahles and Bell, 1968 edition. This book is a well-established authority for the plants of our region and I've been using it for years. If for some reason I must use a different source for a particular plant, I will make note of it within the descriptive text. Don't like it? Tough!
 
fdudley@weaversites.com

Fiona Dudley
Weaversites
986 Reems Creek Road
Weaverville NC 28787

828-231-1501


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