Frog Orchid
Encyclopedia
The Frog Orchid, or Coeloglossum viride, also known as the Long-Bracted Green Orchid and Dactylorhiza viridis is a monotypic genus
of the family Orchidaceae
generally found within the palearctic
ecozone
throughout the mid to northern United States through Canada, and in the British Isles and parts of Western Europe. It is typically found growing in moist, rich soil in wet meadows, moist or wet deciduous
woods and thickets, and is frequently found on steep slopes.
The generic name is derived from the Greek koilos glossum meaning "hollow tongue," referring to the hollow spur on the tongue-like labellum
.
Plant arises from fleshy, forked roots and ranges in height from 10-55 cm.
Leaves of the Frog Orchid are 5-14 cm long and 2-7 cm wide; leaves at the base of the orchid are obovate to elliptical, while leaves higher on the stem become lanceolate. Two to six leaves are found one one plant, and leafing is alternate.
Inflorescence
of the orchid is a dense spike-like cluster
containing 7 to 70 small flowers. Flowers are greenish in color, and often tinged with purple, reddish, or red-brown color. Flowers are subtended by conspicuous long, tapering bracts which are 1-6 cm long, with the lower bracts longer and typically greatly exceeding the length of the flower. Sepals are oval with little or no point, 3-7 mm long and 2-4 mm wide and dark green. Sepals join with petals to form a hood opposite the lower petal
of the flower. Petals are long and narrow, 3.5-5 mm long and about 0.5 mm wide, and curve inwards. The lower petal
is strap-shaped and usually split at the very tip to form two or three tooth-like divisions, with the middle tooth smaller than the others. It is 5-11 mm long and 1-4 mm wide. A 2-3 mm long nectar spur projects behind the labellum.
The Frog Orchid flowers in late May and early June. It is either pollinated by bees and small wasps, or reproduces autogamously by incoherent pollenia.
The Frog Orchid can be mistaken for the Pale Green Orchid, but can be best distinguished by the labellum, which is notched at the apex and does not have the tubercle
of the Pale Green Orchid.
Coeloglossum viride var. bracteatum is being investigated as a potential candidate for the treatment of vascular dementia.
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 the 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,...
generally found within the palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
ecozone
Ecozone
An ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of the Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms.Ecozones delineate large areas of the Earth's surface within which organisms have been evolving in relative isolation over long periods of time, separated from...
throughout the mid to northern United States through Canada, and in the British Isles and parts of Western Europe. It is typically found growing in moist, rich soil in wet meadows, moist or wet deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
woods and thickets, and is frequently found on steep slopes.
The generic name is derived from the Greek koilos glossum meaning "hollow tongue," referring to the hollow spur on the tongue-like labellum
Labellum
Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
.
Plant arises from fleshy, forked roots and ranges in height from 10-55 cm.
Leaves of the Frog Orchid are 5-14 cm long and 2-7 cm wide; leaves at the base of the orchid are obovate to elliptical, while leaves higher on the stem become lanceolate. Two to six leaves are found one one plant, and leafing is alternate.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
of the orchid is a dense spike-like cluster
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
containing 7 to 70 small flowers. Flowers are greenish in color, and often tinged with purple, reddish, or red-brown color. Flowers are subtended by conspicuous long, tapering bracts which are 1-6 cm long, with the lower bracts longer and typically greatly exceeding the length of the flower. Sepals are oval with little or no point, 3-7 mm long and 2-4 mm wide and dark green. Sepals join with petals to form a hood opposite the lower petal
Labellum
Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
of the flower. Petals are long and narrow, 3.5-5 mm long and about 0.5 mm wide, and curve inwards. The lower petal
Labellum
Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
is strap-shaped and usually split at the very tip to form two or three tooth-like divisions, with the middle tooth smaller than the others. It is 5-11 mm long and 1-4 mm wide. A 2-3 mm long nectar spur projects behind the labellum.
The Frog Orchid flowers in late May and early June. It is either pollinated by bees and small wasps, or reproduces autogamously by incoherent pollenia.
The Frog Orchid can be mistaken for the Pale Green Orchid, but can be best distinguished by the labellum, which is notched at the apex and does not have the tubercle
Tubercle
A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
of the Pale Green Orchid.
Coeloglossum viride var. bracteatum is being investigated as a potential candidate for the treatment of vascular dementia.