Northern Slender Ladies'-tresses
Spiranthes lacera
A slender orchid of dry acidic ground, with a single narrow spiral of small white flowers marked green in the throat. It colonizes thin lawns and sandy openings by itself — the usual way to acquire it is to stop mowing.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5–1.5 ft
- Spacing
- 0.2–0.5 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- June, July, August, September
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV
Related native plants
More Spiranthes species
- Spring Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes vernalis)
- Nodding Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes cernua)
- Fragrant Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes odorata)