Isotria medeoloides explained

Isotria medeoloides, commonly known as small whorled pogonia or little five leaves, is a terrestrial orchid found in temperate Eastern North America.

Distribution

The orchid's range is from southern Maine south to Georgia and west to southern Ontario, Michigan, and Tennessee. A population was found in Missouri in 1897,[1] but the plant is no longer believed extant there.[2]

It has always been considered a rare species, often legendarily so. It has been called "the rarest orchid east of the Mississippi",[3] and findings of it are covered by the media, such as the one found in Vermont in 2022.[4]

The plant's habitat includes hardwood and conifer-hardwood forests, where it is found in leaf litter along small "braided" intermittent streams. Its native range includes the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes region.

Description

Isotria medeoloides is a rhizomatous herb producing a waxy gray-green stem up to about 25 centimeters tall. The gray-green leaves are up to 8.5 centimeters long by 4 wide and are borne in a characteristic whorl.

The flower has green and green-streaked yellowish petals measuring between 1 and 2 centimeters long.[5]

Conservation

The plant is listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, having been downlisted from endangered status in 1994 as more populations were discovered, and several were given protection.[2] It is listed as an endangered species by most states or provinces within its range.[6] There are about 104 populations known to exist, but most of these are small, containing fewer than 25 plants.[3]

The main threat to the species' existence is the destruction of its habitat.[3] Other threats include wild pigs, off-road vehicles, predation by deer and slugs, vandalism, and collection.[7]

Taxonomy

This orchid is sometimes confused with the common Indian cucumber (Medeola virginiana), which has similar whorled leaves and grows in similar habitat types. The species name medeoloides is a reference to this similarity.[3]

Anecdotal tales of the species only appearing at decades-long intervals do not appear to be supported by field studies. The plant can usually remain dormant for up to three years.[3]

Notes

References

Notes and References

  1. http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2008/05/pa.htm Small whorled pogonia.
  2. USFWS. Isotria medeoloides Five-year Review. October 2008.
  3. http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/cpc_viewprofile.asp?CPCNum=2350 Isotria medeoloides.
  4. Web site: 2022-06-08 . A rare orchid, thought to be extinct, has been rediscovered in Vermont . 2022-06-12 . Vermont Public Radio . en.
  5. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101723 I. medeoloides.
  6. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ISME2 USDA Plants Profile
  7. USFS. I. medeoloides. Celebrating Wildflowers.