New Addition to my Native Orchid Gallery

[prem]

Just put up a new addition on my Native Orchid Gallery:



---Prem

[uncasteeb]

Most excellent.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Wow! That is awesome! --My favorite colors too! It looks like an angel flying backwards or resting in the air. That is stunning!


Cheers!
Brutal_Dreamer

[prem]

Dreamer, there should be at least one species of Calopogon (and possibly a few more) endemic to your area.

---Prem

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Prem,

You are absolutely correct. I pulled out the Slaughter book on Wild Orchids Native to Arkansas and he list two: Grass Pink or Swamp Pink (Calopogon tuberosus var. simpsonii) and Bearded Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus var. tbuerosus).

The first one has a similar coloring as the one you post; however, the "beard" (yellow part) is not as pronounced as the one you photographed. The second one is very light pink, but as its name suggests the "Beard" is very pronounced like the one in your photo.

Although I have not seen these two orchids in the wild, Dr. Slaughter states they are located in Northwestern Arkansas and bloom from May - July.

Thanks, Prem. I will do my best to locate and photograph one of these next summer. I really love their shape. Thanks for bringing them to my attention!

Cheers!

Brutal_Dreamer

[prem]

interesting...we use the common name "Bearded Grass Pink" for this species (Calopogon barbatus). In looking at Luer, the only species of Calopogon that ventures into Arkansas is C. tuberosus, which has flowers that are usually 1.5 to 2 inches across. The other three native to Florida hug the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. I know that there is one more Calopogon, C. oklahomensis which is native to TX and OK...perhaps this one also grows in AK. I'm posting a photo of
Calopogon tuberosus here:



BTW, these orchids have a very fascinating pollination mechanism. Mid-way up the lip, they bear the aforementioned tuft of orange-yellow hairs that resembles the pistils and stamens of typical bogland flowers, while the base of the lip is jointed. The pollinators, deceived by this ruse, land on this tuft, their weight triggering the lip to flex downward along its joint and to drop them onto the column arching below.

---Prem

[Brutal_Dreamer]

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

[prem]

quite interesting...I've seen variations that strong between plants of C. tuberosus (including plants that were clearly some form of intergrade with the paler, smaller, and thinner-flowered C. pallidus).

If you're serious about wanting to find these in the wild, try calling the various universities and finding which professor(s) specialize(s) of biology specialize in botany...they will often be aware of place to see various species of local flora.

Here's a page I found on the WWW after a quick google search:

http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/arkansas/arkhome1.htm

I find Calopogons growing in moist pinelands and adjoining open areas (they really thrive on wet roadsides where the competing vegetation is kept in check by regular mowing).

---Prem

[prem]

and I also found a distribution map for Calopogon tuberosus in AK:

http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/k...spec=tuberosus

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Wow, thanks Prem!

Cheers!
Brutal_Dreamer