Spiranthes tuberosa

Family:ORCHIDACEAE
Species:Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
Common Name:Little Ladies' Tresses; Little Pearl Twist
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:SPTU
Plant Notes:Little Ladies’ Tresses is a native perennial herb in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. Little Ladies’ Tresses occurs in open dry woodlands, on roadsides, in lawns, and in cemeteries. It is a perennial with a vertical tuberous root. The stems are erect, un-branched, glabrous, and green in color. The stems range in height from 4-10 inches. The 3-5 basal leaves are oval to lanceolate in outline, and absent at flowering. The small white flowers are produced in terminal spikes. The flowers are in loose spirals, with 4-7 flowers per twist. The rachis is glabrous. The lateral sepals are slightly spreading. The lip petal has a crisped margin, and is pure white. The fruit is a capsule. Little Ladies’ Tresses is a common but often overlooked orchid due to its small size. The overwintering leaves are dark green in color and conspicuous in low grass during the winter.—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyORCHIDACEAE - Orchid family
Genus Spiranthes
Species Spiranthes tuberosa Raf. - Little Ladies' Tresses; Little Pearl Twist

Citation

Citation Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque, Herb. Raf. 45. 1833.
Basionym: **
Type: USA: NEW JERSEY:

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Gyrostachys grayi Gyrostachys grayi (Ames) Britton, Manual N. States, ed. 2. 300. 1905, nom. illegit.Spiranthes grayi Ames 1904; Spiranthes simplex A. Gray 1867, non Grisebach 1864. 
Gyrostachys simplex Gyrostachys simplex Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 664. 1891.Spiranthes simplex A. Gray 1867, non Grisebach 1864. 
Spiranthes simplex Spiranthes simplex A. Gray, Manual, ed. 5. 506. 1867, non Grisebach 1864.  
Spiranthes grayi Spiranthes grayi Ames, Rhodora 6: 44. 1904.Spiranthes simplex A. Gray 1867, non Grisebach 1864. 
Spiranthes tuberosa var. grayi Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque, var. grayi (Ames) Fernald, Rhodora 48: 189. 1946.Spiranthes grayi Ames 1904; Spiranthes simplex A. Gray 1867, non Grisebach 1864. 
Triorchis grayi Triorchis grayi (Ames) Nieuwland, Amer. Midl. Naturalist 3: 123. 1913, nom. illegit.Spiranthes grayi Ames 1904; Spiranthes simplex A.Gray 1867, non Grisebach 1864. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Hale, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lee, Macon, Marshall, Mobile, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Wilcox

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AMAL, AUA, JSU, TROY, UNA, UWAL, UWFP

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1949 - 1975

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
ALNHS00007712 Randolph 30 SEP 2020 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#5329
ALNHS
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
AMAL00020366 Mobile 05 Jun 2014 Horne, Howard E.
2563
AMAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
UWFP000025385acc Baldwin 20 Jun 2015 James R. Burkhalter
25365
UWFP
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
UWAL0049267 Bullock 02 Jun 2017 Horne, Howard E.
3920
UWAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
UWAL0039156 Montgomery 20 Jun 2018 Diamond, Alvin R.
28383
UWAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
UWAL0049952 Butler 23 Jun 2019 Diamond, Alvin R.
28991
UWAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
TROY000042669 Escambia 11 Jun 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26455
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_37016 Covington 11 Jun 1981 O'Halloran, K.
194
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
TROY000047177 Montgomery 20 Jun 2018 Diamond, Alvin R.
28383
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_23227 Conecuh 1 Jul 1971 Guthrie, C.D.
029
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
UNA00058596 Blount 25 Jul 1998 Keener, Brian R.
1342
UNA
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
AUA_ACC_43009 Lee 5 Jul 1972 Moody, Gary
075
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
TROY000049049 Butler 23 Jun 2019 Diamond, Alvin R.
28990
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
JSU113640 DeKalb 23 Aug 1992 Clearman, F.W., Jr.
270
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
JSU113639 Cleburne 9 Sep 1994 Ballard, J. Mark
4921
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
TROY000035671 Barbour 01 Jun 2012 Minton, Eric W.
27
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
UWFP000017883acc Baldwin 02 Feb 2002 James R. Burkhalter
18187
UWFP
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
AMAL00004010 Pike 4 Jul 2010 Soehren, Eric C.
115
AMAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
JSU113646 Marshall 30 Aug 1992 Spaulding, Daniel D.
2785
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_28184 Coosa 10 Sep 1975 Rutland, David W.
1296
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
UNA00008569 Hale 21 Jun 1966 Williams, Norris H.
318
UNA
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
UWFP000007442acc Baldwin 16 Jun 1984 James R. Burkhalter
9426
UWFP
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
AUA000040483 Covington 31 May 2012 Hansen, Curtis J.
5592
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
AUA_ACC_17546 Tallapoosa 9 Jul 1969 Thornhill, Randy
083
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
TROY000040681 Coffee 25 Jun 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25246
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_37536 Jackson 25 Aug 1981 Henderson, T.
467
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
UWAL0037258 Elmore 05 Sep 2016 Spaulding, Daniel D.
14718
UWAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
ALNHS00001399 Lauderdale 22 Sep 2010 Holt, Brian D.
SC-417
ALNHS
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
AMAL00006021 Mobile 27 May 2013 Horne, Howard E.
2224
AMAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
JSU113643 Jackson 22 Jun 1999 Brodeur, Kristin R.
2126
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
JSU113647 Talladega 2 Sep 1994 Ballard, J. Mark
4842
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
JSU113642 Etowah 19 Jun 1994 Hodge, Lesley M.
2667
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AMAL00016543 Covington 16 Jun 2009 Barger, T. Wayne
48
AMAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
UNA00008679 Jackson 21 Aug 1949 Segars, Charles B.
157
UNA
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
TROY000048907 Butler 23 Jun 2019 Diamond, Alvin R.
28991
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
UNA00008635 Tuscaloosa 17 Jul 1975 Hoener, Fred K.
1268
UNA
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf.
UWFP000020345acc Escambia 10 Jun 2006 James R. Burkhalter
20914
UWFP
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_49448 Pike 28 Jun 1988 Diamond, Alvin R.
5101
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
JSU113637 Calhoun 6 Sep 1982 Whetstone, R. David
12158
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AMAL00019313 Calhoun 4 Sep 1994 Spaulding, Daniel D.
6145
AMAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
UWAL0030348 Escambia 11 Jun 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26455
UWAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
TROY000011389 Pike 07 Oct 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
18492
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_43946 Crenshaw 12 Jun 1986 Diamond, Alvin R.
2579
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
JSU113644 Lauderdale 28 Jun 1996 Whetstone, R. David
18190
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_43008 Macon 3 Jul 1972 Eudaly, Edwin M.
078
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
JSU113641 Etowah 31 Jul 1994 Hodge, Lesley M.
2951
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
JSU113638 Clay 5 Sep 1982 Whetstone, R. David
12146
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
UWAL0032791 St. Clair 21 Sep 2008 Keener, Brian R.
4899
UWAL
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
TROY000011388 Covington 15 Jun 1999 MacDonald, John R.
13019
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA000040199 Wilcox 19 Sep 2013 Barger, T. Wayne
SP1206
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
TROY000038659 17 May 2012 Dykes, Bailee
736
TROY
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_28002 Talladega 29 Aug 1975 Rutland, David W.
1041
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
JSU113645 Lee 23 Jun 1973 Crance, G.H.
13
JSU
Spiranthes tuberosa Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_17525 Lee 14 Jul 1969 Rebois, R.V.
021
AUA
Spiranthes Tuberosa Raf.
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