Common Name: ORCHID FAMILY
Habit: Perennial herb, terrestrial [growing on other pls], non-green (nutrition from association of roots with fungi) or green, generally from rhizomes or tubers with few to many fleshy to slender roots; cauline leaves +- reduced to sheathing stem bracts or not. Leaf: 1--many, basal to cauline, linear to +- round, alternate to opposite (if only 1 pair), generally sessile. Inflorescence: flowers 1--many, spike or raceme, bracted. Flower: bisexual, bilateral, in bud generally rotating 180° by twisting ovary (position of parts indicated after twisting); sepals generally 3, generally free, generally petal-like, uppermost generally erect, lateral with chin- or spur-like projection (mentum) or not; petals 3, 1 (lip) different, spurred or not; stamens generally 1 (3 in Cypripedium, 2 functional, 1 a staminode), fused with style, stigma into column, pollen generally lumped, generally removed as unit by insect; ovary inferior, 1-chambered, placentas 3, parietal, stigma 3 lobed, generally under column tip. Fruit: capsule. Seed: many, minute.
Genera In Family: +- 800 genera, +- 25000 species: especially tropics (worldwide except Antarctica). Many cultivated for ornament, especially Cattleya, Cymbidium, Epidendrum, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum; Vanilla planifolia Andrews fruits used to flavor food. Note: Platanthera may be paraphyletic without inclusion of Piperia (Bateman et al. 2009 Ann Bot 104:431--445); study needed.
eFlora Treatment Author: Ronald A. Coleman, Dieter H. Wilken & William F. Jennings, except as noted
Scientific Editor: Ronald A. Coleman, Thomas J. Rosatti.

Common Name: BOG-ORCHID
Habit: Rhizome tuber-like, elongate. Leaf: cauline, alternate, linear to elliptic or lanceolate, gradually reduced upward, with 1 lengthwise fold. Inflorescence: generally spike; flower bracts leaf-like. Flower: perianth white to yellow-green or green; sepals +- equal, upper generally hood-like, lower free, generally spreading; lateral petals generally erect, lip spurred, pendent to upcurved; column +- erect. Fruit: ascending to erect.
Etymology: (Greek: wide anther) Note: Identification often difficult due to intermediates, hybrids; additional species expected in California. Platanthera hyperborea (L.) Lindl. not in California.
Unabridged Note: In California, > 1 sp. often occurs in a given area and blooms at +- the same time, yielding many hybrids and hybrid swarms, including some that have not been named, e.g., Platanthera dilatata × Platanthera tescamnis, as well as others that have, e.g., Platanthera ×estesii W.J. Schrenk (Platanthera dilatata × Platanthera stricta) and Platanthera ×lassenii W.J. Schrenk (Platanthera dilatata × Platanthera sparsiflora). Some purported hybrids, e.g., Platanthera ×correllii W.J. Schrenk and Platanthera ×media (Rydb.) Luer, now treated as a synonym of Platanthera huronensis (Nutt.) Lindl., do not occur in California.
eFlora Treatment Author: Ronald A. Coleman
Reference: Sheviak & Jennings 2006 Rhodora 108:19--33
Unabridged Reference: Colwell et al. 2007 Madroño 54:86--93