Blunt-leaved orchid

Description

Platanthera obtusata, common name blunt-leaved orchid or small northern bog orchid, is a small species of orchid in the genus Platanthera. It widespread across much of the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere, though rare in some parts of its range. Two subspecies are recognized: Platanthera obtusata subsp. obtusata - Alaska (including the Aleutians), much of Canada (all 13 provinces and territories), south along the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico; the Great Lakes States, the Adirondacks and northern New England; St. Pierre & Miquelon. Platanthera obtusata subsp. oligantha (Turcz.) Hultén - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Siberia and the Russian Far East It is pollinated by several species of mosquito as well as by other insects. The genus Platanthera belongs to the subfamily Orchidoideae of the family Orchidaceae, and comprises about 150 species of orchids. The members of this genus, known as the butterfly orchids or fringed orchids, were previously included in the genus Orchis, which is a close relative (along with the genus Habenaria). They are distributed throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They are terrestrial and have tubercules. Louis Claude Richard chose the name Platanthera for this genus; it comes from the Greek and means "broad or wide anther," referring to the separation of the base of the pollinia in the type species of the genus. Richard felt that this characteristic distinguished the genus Platanthera from both the genus Orchis and the genus Habenaria. However, today the defining characteristics of the genus are generally accepted to be the absence of both stigmatic processes (typical in Habenaria) and ovoid root-tuberoids (characteristic of both Habenaria and Orchis). Still, P. nivea, P. clavellata and P. integra all have stigmatic processes, showing the limitations of morphological characteristics in defining this clade.