| Isotria medeoloides | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Vanilloideae |
| Genus: | Isotria |
| Species: | I. medeoloides |
| Binomial name | |
| Isotria medeoloides (Pursh) Raf. |
|
Isotria medeoloides (small whorled pogonia or little five leaves) 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,[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]
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.[4]
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.[2] It is listed as an endangered species by most states or provinces within its range.[5] There are about 104 populations known to exist, but most of these are small, containing fewer than 25 plants.[3]
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.[3]
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.[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.[6]