[Rein-orchids: The genus Planthera (formerly the Genus Piperia) East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]
Alaska Rein Orchid, Alaskan Rein Orchid, Short-spurred Bog Orchid, Short-spurred Piperia, Slender-spire Orchid
Platanthera unalascensis
Synonyms: Habenaria schischmareffiana, Habenaria unalascencis, Piperia unalascensis
A close-up of a flower of Alaska rein orchid as seen on dry slopes under conifers along the Canyon Mountain Trail #218, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness..........August 19, 2011.
Characteristics:
Short-spurred bog orchid is a small flowered orchid of very
moist places. The plant is yellowish-green to green in color and may grow 20-70
cm tall. The two to four leaves are largely basal, lance-shaped but broadest
near the tip. They are parallel-veined and may reach 20 cm in length, and often
wither quickly.
The narrow, loosely-flowered raceme is 10-30 cm long. The bracts
are all shorter than the flowers. The flowers are green or greenish-white, 10-12
mm long and they are not fragrant. The sepals and petals are roughly the same
length. The spur is cylindrical and of equal length to the lower lip which is
oblong-ovate in shape.
Habitat:
Short-spurred bog orchid is found in dry to moist coniferous
forests, and in moist meadows and damp streamside areas.
Range:
Short-spurred bog orchid is found from Alaska south to Baja
California, and eastward to Quebec, Ontario, the western regions of South Dakota,
Colorado, and Nevada.
- 
Alaska rein orchid as seen on dry slopes under conifers along the Canyon Mountain Trail #218, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness...........August 19, 2011. Note the greenish flowers lacking large areas of white on the petals and the short spurs that are barely longer than the lower lip of the flower.
- 
Close-ups of Alaska rein orchid as seen along the Umatilla Rim Trail #3080 on the western slopes of High Ridge, Umatilla National Forest..........July 24, 2012.
Paul Slichter