Shining ladies'-tresses Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Shining ladies'-tresses

Conservation status
Apparently Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Spiranthes
Species:	lucida
Synonyms
Neottia lucida H. H. Eaton Ibidium plantagineum (Rafinesque) House Spiranthes plantaginea Rafinesque

Spiranthes lucida, also known as the shining ladies'-tresses, is a special type of orchid. It grows naturally in the northeastern parts of North America. This plant gets its name from its beautiful, shiny flowers.

What Does It Look Like?
Where Does It Grow?
How Does It Interact with Nature?
- Pollination
Images for kids
See also

What Does It Look Like?

The shining ladies'-tresses is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It is also a herbaceous plant, which means it has soft stems, not woody ones like a tree. This plant can grow up to about 37 centimeters (about 14.5 inches) tall.

It usually has three or four leaves. These leaves grow near the bottom of the plant. Unlike many other plants in its family, its leaves stay green even after the flowers bloom.

This orchid is one of the first ladies'-tresses to flower each year. Its flowers usually appear between May and August. The flowers grow in a spiral shape on a single tall stem. Each flower is white. They have a bright, shiny yellow part called a "lip."

Where Does It Grow?

Spiranthes lucida can be found across a wide area. It grows from Nova Scotia in Canada all the way to northeastern Wisconsin in the United States. You can also find it south into states like Virginia, Arkansas, and Missouri.

This orchid likes to grow in wet places. It prefers soil that is sandy or gravelly. The soil also needs to have a lot of calcium in it. You can often find these plants in habitats like riverbanks, wet meadows called fens, places where water seeps out of the ground, and even old gravel pits.

How Does It Interact with Nature?

Pollination

Scientists have seen bees from the family Halictidae visiting the flowers of Spiranthes lucida. These bees are often called "sweat bees."

The shape of this orchid's flowers is perfect for bees with short tongues. Most other Spiranthes species have flowers that are better for bees with longer tongues, like bumblebees. This shows how different plants are specially designed to attract certain pollinators.