Goodyera repens
Encyclopedia
Goodyera repens, an orchid in the genus
Goodyera
, is called by the common name creeping lady's tresses in Anglophone Europe
and dwarf rattlesnake plantain or lesser rattlesnake plantain in North America
.
It is a green underground creeper that sends out occasional skinny stems above the surface. During the summer, these stems bear flower
s arranged in a spiral. These flowers twist themselves to face toward the sun
.
Goodyera repens is found in isolated spots in the forest
s and bog
s of Europe. It is a rare plant
, but it is the most common orchid in Scandinavia
. It is also found in Canada
and the northern United States
. This is a protected species throughout most of its range. It does not survive fire, and does not soon reenter an area after fire or logging. It is generally found only in forests at least 95 years old.
Like other orchids, the creeping lady's tresses live in symbiosis
with a mycorrhiza
, a rhizome
-dwelling fungus (Ceratobasidium
cornigerum or Rhizoctonia goodyearae-repentis). The mycorrhiza helps the orchid absorb and assimilate nutrient
s
This orchid is pollinated
by bumblebee
s, allowing for its sexual reproduction
. It can also reproduce vegetatively
.
The seeds are probably the smallest of any plant.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Goodyera
Goodyera
Goodyera are a wide-ranging genus of orchid, one of approximately 800 described Orchidaceae genera within that large and diverse family. The genus is named after botanist John Goodyer....
, is called by the common name creeping lady's tresses in Anglophone Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and dwarf rattlesnake plantain or lesser rattlesnake plantain in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
It is a green underground creeper that sends out occasional skinny stems above the surface. During the summer, these stems bear flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s arranged in a spiral. These flowers twist themselves to face toward the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
.
Goodyera repens is found in isolated spots in the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s and bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s of Europe. It is a rare plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
, but it is the most common orchid in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. It is also found in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the northern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This is a protected species throughout most of its range. It does not survive fire, and does not soon reenter an area after fire or logging. It is generally found only in forests at least 95 years old.
Like other orchids, the creeping lady's tresses live in symbiosis
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
with a mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
, a rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
-dwelling fungus (Ceratobasidium
Ceratobasidium
Ceratobasidium is a genus of fungi in the order Cantharellales. Basidiocarps are effused and the genus is sometimes grouped among the corticioid fungi, though species also retain features of the heterobasidiomycetes. Rhizoctonia-like anamorphs of Ceratobasidium species are placed in the genus...
cornigerum or Rhizoctonia goodyearae-repentis). The mycorrhiza helps the orchid absorb and assimilate nutrient
Nutrient
A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...
s
This orchid is pollinated
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by bumblebee
Bumblebee
A bumble bee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are common in New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania.Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black...
s, allowing for its sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. There are two main processes during sexual reproduction; they are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the...
. It can also reproduce vegetatively
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
.
The seeds are probably the smallest of any plant.
External links
- National Biodiversity Network (UK) Grid map
- Creeping ladies tresses species profile http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.crladiestress.html