Hi Prem!
According to Carl R. Slaughter’s book, Wild Orchids of Arkansas, there are two orchids in Arkansas that belong to the genus Calopogon. I mention their names in the earlier post. I scanned the two photos and attach them below. I have never seen them, but, honestly, I have never looked for them. There are many damp meadows, wet lands, and swamp areas around this part of Arkansas. Dr. Slaughter says that these are the areas where these native species can be found in northwestern Arkansas.
The first photo is the Grass Pink or (Swamp Pink) [Calopogon tuberosus var. simpsonii) According to the book I mention earlier, the common name comes from the appearance of its leaf and its color and the genus name is from the Greek and means ‘beautiful beard.’ Its species name refers to its root and the variety name is derived from its namer.
The second photo: Bearded Grass Pink [Calopogon tuberosus var. tuberosus], according again to Dr. Slaughter’s book, gets it common name from its color and appearance. The yellow hair on its lip gives it its bearded name.
The differences between the two: The first grows to a height of about 24 inches and has flowers that are one and a half inches in length and blooms in succession. The second is of course paler in color, but it blooms with multiple flowers at one time. The flowers are somewhat smaller in size than the Grass Pink, and the plant is usually between 6 and 18 inches in height. The flowers are almost one inch in diameter with a half-inch lip.
Anyway, here are the photos. I cropped them a bit to get them to fit here. Thanks for posting that response. I am glad I looked deeper. When/if I do find one of these next summer, I will be sure to post it. Thanks, Prem.
Cheers!
Brutal_Dreamer
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