Platanthera ciliaris

Yellow fringed orchid or Orange plume

Photographed CT, USA, 30 July 2004 

Image number 300704ds48

The Yellow fringed orchid is one of America's spectacular orchids, it stands up to 36 " (90 cm) tall with wide leaves and a magnificent flower spike. The flowers are normally a vivid orange but the colour can vary to from dark orange to yellow. It can easily by distinguished from the normally yellow flowered P cristata which has much smaller flowers and spur. It is widely distributed and normally found in seasonally wet areas or bogs, often in association with Sundews, Venus fly traps and Pitcher plants.