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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE ORCHID FAMILY | |||||||||
| The orchid family is easily recognizable
because of the unique structures of the flower. There are usually three
sepals and three petals, similar to other petaloid monocots; however, the
sepals often look like the two side petals. The middle petal is called the
labellum or lip and is usually highly modified. The lip can be pouch-like,
have appendages or be coloured differently than the rest of the perianth.
The stamens, style, and stigma are fused together to form the column. There
is usually one functional anther with two pollen sacs that contain masses
of pollen called pollinia. The stigma is usually a sticky surface at the
tip or beak of the column. The ovary is long and can be seen below the sepals
and petals. Orchid flowers can be very bright and large, which makes them popular ornamental plants. This family is well represented in the tropics. Saskatchewan has several orchid species, most of which are quite small. |
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| WHITE ADDER’S-MOUTH ORCHID | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Malaxis brachypoda | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| White adder’s-mouth orchid grows to 30 cm tall from bulbous underground structures. The stem has only one leaf that is attached towards the base of the stem. The blade is oval in shape and light green in colour. The inflorescence is slender, unbranched and has several small greenish or whitish flowers. The sepals are tapered to a long point at the tip. The petals are strongly downward pointing. The lip is also strongly downward pointing and is three-lobed. The fruit is a capsule. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| White adder’s-mouth orchid grows in moist, shaded woods. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in central and southern Saskatchewan in the following ecoregions: Cypress Upland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| White adder’s-mouth orchid is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. Most local populations are small. Possible threats, including habitat loss have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WHITE ADDER’S-MOUTH ORCHID | |||||||||
| * Does the stem have only one leaf? * Are the sepals and petals greenish or whitish? * Is the lip 3-lobed? * Did you find in a forest in Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found white adder’s-mouth orchid! | |||||||||
