Cleistes
Encyclopedia
Cleistes is a genus
of plants in the orchids (family Orchidaceae
) belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae
the same family which provides the vanilla
bean of commerce. They are native to North and South America. The common names are Rosebud Orchid and Small Spreading Pogonia.
This is a terrestrial orchid with an underground network of spreading fibrous roots. It is found in small clusters of single flowering stems, each with a single leaf blade about half way up the 30 – 45 cm stem. A smaller floral bract clasps around the base of the flower and appears as a second smaller leaf blade. The flower has three brown-green sepals spreading upward from the stem. Two upper petals and a lip below form the flower tube.
In the United States Cleistes is native to the southeast. It flowers in the spring (April to May along coastal plain area and around July in the mountains. It prefers savannas, meadows, openings woodlands, where the soil is acidic and moist and made up of rotting pine or other organic material, such as a boggy pine woodland. In the mountains that habitat may be xeric.
The plants are commonly up to 30 to 45 centimeters in height. The flower 2–3 cm across, depending on species.
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...
of plants in the orchids (family Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
) belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae
Vanilloideae
Vanilloideae is one of the subfamilies of orchids belonging to the large family Orchidaceae.Lindley and even Garay used to treat it as a separate family Vanillaceae. But their single, incumbent anther and poorly organised pollinia led to their recognition as at best a subgroup of monandrous...
the same family which provides the vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
bean of commerce. They are native to North and South America. The common names are Rosebud Orchid and Small Spreading Pogonia.
This is a terrestrial orchid with an underground network of spreading fibrous roots. It is found in small clusters of single flowering stems, each with a single leaf blade about half way up the 30 – 45 cm stem. A smaller floral bract clasps around the base of the flower and appears as a second smaller leaf blade. The flower has three brown-green sepals spreading upward from the stem. Two upper petals and a lip below form the flower tube.
In the United States Cleistes is native to the southeast. It flowers in the spring (April to May along coastal plain area and around July in the mountains. It prefers savannas, meadows, openings woodlands, where the soil is acidic and moist and made up of rotting pine or other organic material, such as a boggy pine woodland. In the mountains that habitat may be xeric.
The plants are commonly up to 30 to 45 centimeters in height. The flower 2–3 cm across, depending on species.
Species
- Cleistes divaricata - Rosebud Orchid. Distribution in states along the Atlantic seaboard from southern New Jersey to the norther most counties of Florida. It is listed as federally threatened or endangered species depending on the state.
- Cleistes bifaria - mall Spreading Pogonia. with a distribution along the Gulf coast from Florida to Louisiana, and also appearing at higher elevations in the southern Appalachian mountains.
- Cleistes ochlockonea - Ochlockonee Rosebud Orchid. This species has only been observed in Wakulla County Florida.