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orchids

When people think of orchids, showy tropical orchids like Phalaenopsis sp. bloom in the mind (above). What distinguishes an orchid? Orchids are monocotyledons or monocots, meaning only one seed leaf begins from the embryo. Other defining characteristics in this family include parallel veins, capsules as fruit type, and perfect irregular flowers. The lower petal often protrudes as an enlarged lip or sac. Six petals in two unlike whorls construct the flower. Thirty species of orchids occur in Montana in the genera Amerorchis, Calypso, Coeloglossum, Corallorhiza, Cypripedium, Epipactis, Goodyera, Liparis, Listera, Piperia, Platanthera, and Spiranthes. The following four renderings depict the orchids we’ve encountered thus far: Alaska rein orchid (Piperia unalascensis), fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa), mountain lady slipper (Cypripedium montanum), and western rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera oblongifolia).

orchids

orchids

orchids

About the Author

Rebecca Durham

Rebecca graduated with a BA in Biology from Colby College in 1997, earned a MS in Botany from Oregon State University in 2005, and earned a MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from the University of Montana in 2017. Her botany thesis work investigated post-fire vegetation succession in the Bob Marshall Wilderness of Montana. She has gained experience in botany and biology throughout the west working for the Forest Service, universities, consulting firms, and non-profits performing restoration and vegetation surveys for research and conservation. Rebecca is the head botanist at MPG Ranch. Her research interests include vascular plant phenology, biological soil crust, and restoration.

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