Platanthera lacera aka Green Fringed Orchid

Platanthera lacera is a wild orchid that lives for years. People call it green fringed orchid or ragged fringed orchid. An older name is Habenaria lacera. It grows in eastern and central Canada and the United States. Kew also records a native group in Costa Rica. Its range in North America includes Manitoba and Newfoundland. It also includes Texas and Maine. This wetland plant grows in many kinds of damp places.

The main stem is stout, pale green, round, and hairless. Each stem bears two to five leaves, set in turn. The leaves grow from sheaths that clasp the stem. They have plain edges and no hairs. Some leaves are narrow and shaped like straps. Others are broad and oval. Leaves measure about 0.17–0.67 feet [0.05–0.20 metres] long. They get smaller toward the top of the stem. The top leaves look more like bracts than full leaves.

Flowers form a tall, narrow cluster called a raceme. They come in cream, white, green, and yellow-green. Each flower has a lip with deep cuts. These cuts give the blooms their ragged, fringed look. The flowers have a scent that draws moths. Moths carry pollen from one flower to the next. North Carolina State lists bloom times as summer and fall. Each flower spans less than 0.083 feet [0.025 metres]. The fruit is a narrow, oval seed capsule. Each capsule holds many tiny seeds.

In gardens, this orchid needs moist ground and acid soil. It grows in full sun or part shade. It can grow in sand or silt loam. Mixes rich in peat also suit it. Its sites may contain some gravel as well. North Carolina State lists soil rich in organic matter. It also lists sites where water stands or wet spells occur. The stated hardiness range covers USDA zones 4 through 9. Kew puts this plant in the temperate climate group.

Wild plants grow in damp prairies, sandy swamps, and open woods. They also grow in bogs with shrubs and streamside hollows. Fields and ditches provide more places for them to grow. Garden sites include pond edges, rain gardens, and water gardens. Native gardens and damp woods also meet its listed needs. Its fringed blooms add detail to these wet garden sites. The flowers link the plant with moths that spread pollen.