The orchid family, Orchidaceae, is one of the largest and most diverse in the world. There are more than 800 genera containing more than 20,000 species.

Western North Carolina is blessed with an abundant assortment of orchids. The Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (third printing, 1973) lists 21 genera in the state. There are at least 30 species of orchids in WNC. Native Orchids of the Southern Appalachian Mountains by Stanley Bentley lists 52 species.

While there are numerous small orchids like the tway-blades, coral roots and putty roots, there is always at least one large showy orchid for every season in the mountains. The showy orchis, Galearis spectabilis, moccasin flower, Cypripedium acaule and yellow lady’s slipper, Cypripedium calceolus get us through the early spring. Purple fringed orchid, Platanthera psycodes blooms from late spring into summer.

From now through autumn, the showiest orchid in flower is the yellow fringed orchid, Platanthera ciliaris. This striking orchid may be found solitary or in small colonies at the forest’s edge, in meadows and bogs from the coastal plains up to 4,000 feet or so in the mountains.

One of the easiest places to spot yellow fringed orchids is along the shoulders of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Look for a tangerine-colored orb, one to three feet above the ground, peeking out from the edge of the woods.

Different shades of orange are the predominant color of this orchid, but if you look closely you can find the attribute that led to the common name. The delicate cilia or fringes that emanate from the lower lip of the bloom are, indeed, yellowish.

The numerous flowers are found in a dense raceme at the end of the stem. The raceme may be from two to six inches long. The fringed lip of individual flowers may reach three-fourths of an inch in length and the slender spur extends back one and a half inches or more.

The stem may reach three feet tall. The narrow leaves are reduced in size as they progress up the stem. Lower leaves may be an inch or more wide and reach a length of 10 inches. Upper leaves are greatly reduced becoming smaller the farther you go up the stem.

The Cherokee used the roots of yellow fringed orchid in a tea for headaches. It is also reported that a piece of root placed on an angler’s fish hook entices fish.

A couple of places in this area to spot the orchid are along the Parkway. The shoulders of Heintooga Road from the Parkway (milepost 458.2) to the picnic area generally produce a number of yellow fringed orchids. I recently spotted a number in bloom on the Parkway near Cherokee. Look for them on the west side of the Parkway between mileposts 464 and 468.

(Don Hendershot can be reached at don@smokymountainnews.com)

 

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