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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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| BOG ADDER’S-MOUTH ORCHID | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Malaxis paludosa | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Bog adder’s-mouth orchid grows to 20 cm tall from bulbous underground structures. The stem typically has two or three leaves that are attached towards the base of the stem. The blades are oval in shape and light green in colour. The inflorescence is slender, unbranched and has several small greenish or yellowish flowers. The lateral sepals and petals are downward pointing. The petals are about half as long as the sepals. The lip is strongly green-nerved. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Bog adder’s-mouth orchid grows in wet black spruce woods and bogs. | |||||||||
| 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? | |||||||||
| Bog adder’s-mouth orchid is endangered because it is rare in Saskatchewan and is almost always locally sparse. No immediate threats are known at the present time. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BOG ADDER’S-MOUTH ORCHID | |||||||||
| * Does the stem have two or three leaves? * Are the sepals and petals greenish or yellowish? * Is the lip green nerved? * Did you find in a black spruce forest or bog in Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found bog adder’s-mouth orchid! | |||||||||
