Isotria medeoloides
Encyclopedia
Isotria medeoloides is a terrestrial orchid found in temperate
Eastern North America
. Its range is from southern Maine
south to Georgia
and west to southern Ontario
, Michigan
, and Tennessee
. A population was found in Missouri
in 1897, but the plant is no longer believed extant there. It has always been considered a rare species, often legendarily so. It has been called "the rarest orchid east of the Mississippi
.
This 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.
The plant's habitat
includes hardwood or conifer-hardwood forests, where it is found in leaf litter along small "braided" intermittent streams.
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. It is listed as an endangered species
by most states or provinces within its range. There are about 104 populations known to exist, but most of these are small, containing fewer than 25 plants.
This orchid is sometimes confused with the common Indian cucumber
(Medeola virginiaca), which has similar whorled leaves and grows in similar habitat types. The species name medeoloides is a reference to this similarity.
Anectdotal 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.
The main threat to the species' existence is the destruction of its habitat. Other threats include wild pigs, off-road vehicle
s, predation by deer and slugs, vandalism
, and collection.
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
Eastern 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...
. Its range is from southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
south to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and west to southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. A population was found in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1897, but the plant is no longer believed extant there. It has always been considered a rare species, often legendarily so. It has been called "the rarest orchid east of the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
This is a rhizomatous
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...
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
Whorl (botany)
In botany, a whorl is an arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches in which all the parts are attached at the same point and surround or wrap around the stem.There are four whorls in a general flower...
. The flower has green and green-streaked yellowish petals measuring between 1 and 2 centimeters long.
The plant's habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
includes hardwood or conifer-hardwood forests, where it is found in leaf litter along small "braided" intermittent streams.
The plant is listed as a threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
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. It is listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
by most states or provinces within its range. There are about 104 populations known to exist, but most of these are small, containing fewer than 25 plants.
This orchid is sometimes confused with the common Indian cucumber
Medeola virginiana
Medeola virginiana or Indian Cucumber-root is a perennial plant in the genus Medeola.-Description:It occurs with either a single tier or two tiers of leaves. The upper tier consists of from three to five whorled leaves on the stem above a lower tier of five to nine...
(Medeola virginiaca), which has similar whorled leaves and grows in similar habitat types. The species name medeoloides is a reference to this similarity.
Anectdotal 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.
The main threat to the species' existence is the destruction of its habitat. Other threats include wild pigs, off-road vehicle
Off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
s, predation by deer and slugs, vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
, and collection.