Calopogon tuberosus
| Tuberous grass pink | |
|---|---|
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| Ottawa, Ontario | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Arethuseae |
| Genus: | Calopogon |
| Species: | C. tuberosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Calopogon tuberosus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
List
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Calopogon tuberosus, the tuberous grass pink, is an orchid native to eastern North America.[1] It is a perennial forb.[3]
Description
The main identifying features of C. tuberosus are the species' prominent hairs positioned on the lip of a petal (sometimes referred to as "the Beard") and the smell produced by the flower.[4]
Individuals have 1 (occasionally 2) linear basal leaves. Flowers are magenta to purple in color, and the middle petal is distinctively oblong-elliptic in shape.[5] The average maximum root depth has been found to be 7 centimeters (approximately 2.75 inches).
Distribution and habitat
In the United States, it occurs from as far southwest as Texas and Oklahoma and southeast to the Florida Everglades to as far northeast as Maine and as far northwest as Minnesota. In Canada, it is found in all provinces from Newfoundland to Manitoba. It also is found in St. Pierre & Miquelon, Cuba and the Bahamas.[6][7][8]
From April to September, C. tuberosus may be found in habitats such as sandhill seeps, floating peat mats, and savannas.[9] It may also be found in habitats such as fens, bogs, pine flatwoods, and marl prairies.[10]
Subspecies
- Calopogon tuberosus var. simpsonii (Small) Magrath
- Calopogon tuberosus var. tuberosus
Conservation status
It is listed as "G5 - Secure" under the NatureServe conservation status system. However it is listed as an endangered species by the states of Illinois, Kentucky, and Maryland, and as exploitably vulnerable by New York.
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Wild pink orchid -
Flower and buds in Saco Heath, Maine
References
- ^ a b Justice, William S.; Bell, C. Ritchie; Lindsey, Anne H. (2005). Wild Flowers of North Carolina (2. printing. ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press. p. 53. ISBN 0807855979.
- ^ "Calopogon tuberosus (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ Brackley, F. E. (1985). "The Orchids of New Hampshire." Rhodora 87(849): 1-117.
- ^ Kartesz, John T. (2014). "Calopogon tuberosus". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ NRCS. "Calopogon tuberosus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- ^ Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
- ^ Kauth, Philip J.; Kane, Michael E.; Vendrame, Wagner A. (February 2011). "Comparative in vitro germination ecology of Calopogon tuberosus var. tuberosus (Orchidaceae) across its geographic range". In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant. 47 (1): 148–156. doi:10.1007/s11627-010-9316-5. ISSN 1054-5476.
External links
Media related to Calopogon tuberosus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Calopogon tuberosus at Wikispecies- Go Orchids, North American Orchids Conservation Center
- Calopogon tuberosus gallery link
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas
- Orchids of Wisconsin
- Florida's Native and Naturalized Orchids
- Go Botany, New England Wildflower Society
- Missouri Plants, photo
- Paul Smith's College, College of the Adirondacks, Visitor's Interpretive Center
- Ontario Wildflowers
- Minnesota Wildflowers