Aplectrum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aplectrum
Aplectrum hyemale
Conservation status
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Epidendroideae
Tribe:	Epidendreae
Subtribe:	Calypsoinae
Genus:	Aplectrum (Nutt.) Torr.
Species:	A. hyemale
Binomial name
Aplectrum hyemale (Muhl. ex Willd.) Torr.
State-level distribution of Aplectrum hyemale in the United States
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Synonyms
List Cymbidium hyemale Muhl. ex Willd. Epidendrum hyemale (Muhl. ex Willd.) Poir. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck Corallorhiza hyemalis (Muhl. ex Willd.) Nutt. Aplectra elatior Raf. Aplectrum spicatum Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. Aplectrum shortii Rydb. in N.L.Britton Aplectrum spicatum var. pallidum House Aplectrum hyemale var. pallidum (House) Barnhart Aplectrum hyemale f. pallidum (House) House

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The Aplectrum hyemale is a special type of orchid plant. It is often called the Adam and Eve orchid or putty root. This plant grows naturally in eastern United States and Canada. You can find it from Oklahoma all the way east to the Carolinas. It also grows north to places like Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and Massachusetts.

This orchid is very common in the Appalachian Mountains. It also thrives in the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio River and Upper Mississippi Valleys. Sometimes, small groups of these orchids are even found far away in Arizona.

About the Adam and Eve Orchid

Aplectrum hyemale is the only species in its group, called the Aplectrum genus. The name "Aplectrum" comes from an old Greek word. It means "spurless," which describes its flowers.

Why Is It Called Putty Root?

One of its common names, "putty root," is quite interesting. It refers to a sticky, gooey liquid found inside its underground parts, called tubers. If you crush these tubers, you can get this thick, putty-like fluid.

How Does It Grow?

The Adam and Eve orchid spreads underground using its tubers. These tubers help it form large groups of plants. Its leaves are unique and appear in late November. They stay on the plant until March.

The leaves have cool pin-stripes. They show alternating silvery-white and green stripes running side by side. In late May or early June, a flower stalk grows up. It carries several small flowers, each only a few millimeters wide.

Sometimes, people confuse this orchid with another plant called Tipularia discolor. That's another orchid that grows in eastern North America.