Arethusa bulbosa, commonly called dragon's mouth orchid,[1] is the only species in the orchid genus Arethusa. The genus is named after a naiad of Greek mythology.[2] This monotypic genus is abbreviated Aret in trade journals.
This terrestrial and rare orchid occurs in Eastern North America from Manitoba east to Newfoundland and St. Pierre & Miquelon south to Virginia, with isolated populations in northern Saskatchewan and in the Carolinas.[3] [4] It occurs in bogs, swamps and other wet lowlands. It grows to a height of 15 cm. It forms a large, single, pink terminal flower, with a showy lip and white and yellow fringed crests.