Western Prairie Fringed Orchid

December 16, 2013

By: Patience Goodman

The “fringe” in the name, Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, refers to the margins of the flower petals that have a feathery appearance. It is a perennial plant that can go dormant during periods of drought. It is a perennial plant that can go dormant during periods of drought. Its multiple white blooms on a single flower stalk appear in June or early July. The existence of this plant may be tied closely to its nocturnal pollinator, the long-tongued hawkmoth, which is highly attracted to the scent of the flowers. The western prairie fringed orchid is found in moist prairie or sedge meadow habitats. The loss of native tallgrass prairie to farmland, development, fire suppression, overgrazing and habitat fragmentation have made this a rare plant. It is found in six states at approximately 75 sites. In Kansas, it is found at four sites in four counties.

A characteristic plant of North American tallgrass prairies, the Western Prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) is a beautiful plant with its fate tied to that of its habitat, which has been reduced to less than two percent of its former vast range. Consequently, this elegant wildflower is now classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the high risk of it becoming extinct.

The Western Prairie fringed orchid is best recognised by its showy white flowers, which are borne on a large raceme. Each flower produces a vanilla-like fragrance and has a long nectar spur and a deeply-lobed, deeply-fringed lower petal, or ‘lip’ .The raceme sits atop a single, long, smooth stem, which may grow up to 85 centimetres in length, but is often as short as 14 centimetres on drought-stressed plants. Five to ten leaves branch from the stem. The lower leaves, which measure 9 to 15 centimeres in length and 1.5 to 3.5 centimetres in width, are smooth and long, and are larger than the upper leaves

The original name P. leucophaea was retained for the species occupying the upper Mississippi River drainage and the Great Lakes region in an area corresponding to the prairie peninsula.  The species inhabiting the prairies of the Missouri River drainage (west of Mississippi River) - the center of the tallgrass prairie formation - was named P. praeclara.

Of the five known localities in the state of Kansas, plants were not seen at three sites during 2003 and 2006 (time period for which data are available). In Missouri, across three known sites, while total count has increased from 21 flowering individuals to 38, no flowering plants were seen recently at one location.  In Nebraska, total counts across all monitored sites at times have declined by up to 60% during the last 6 years.  In Iowa, overall, 90-100% decline has been observed over the past at least 20 years at several localities. While at most localities in North Dakota, declines of up to 80% have been observed over the last seven years, two to three sites have shown increases in the numbers of flowering individuals.

The ideal habitat for P. praeclara is calcareous prairies and sedge meadows, primarily along swales and in marsh areas. P. praeclara is also found in ditches and along roadsides in unmanaged prairie remnants. The orchids prefer higher, drier slopes of swales and ditches, in full sunlight. However, they require a moist soil and warm climate; they do not readily flower in dry areas or during times of drought.

The orchids are also at risk from habitat alteration and degradation, which is induced by anthropogenic factors. Inappropriate land management practices can damage individual plants or create ecological changes that disadvantage entire orchid populations. For example, cattle can damage individual plants by grazing and trampling them. More problematic are management practices and other alterations to associated ecological systems that disadvantage P. praeclara. For instance, non-application or misapplication of prescribed fire, grazing, or mowing could have a detrimental impact on plant survival, growth, and reproduction.

P. praeclara is federally listed in the USA as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Federally protected since 1989, a recovery plan for the species was published in 1996. The focus of recovery has been on “maintaining the habitat of known populations on native prairie and providing the highest level of protection appropriate for all populations” (USFWS 1996).  To accomplish these goals, the USFWS seeks to achieve two recovery criteria:

1. ensuring that a minimum proportion of plants within several ecological units occur on lands that are protected from being converted to non-grassland; and
2. that those protected plants are subject to appropriate management (USFWS unpublished).

Works Cited

• ·       http://www.gpnc.org/wpforchid.htm
  ·       http://www.arkive.org/western-prairie-fringed-orchid/platanthera-praeclara/
  ·       http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/132834/0
  ·       http://25.media.tumblr.com/fb51b3ecec41c4697657158be244c774/tumblr_moi5ksHVB81s93a2ro1_500.jpg
  ·       http://www.gpnc.org/images/gifs/wpforchid.gif
  ·       http://echinacea.umn.edu/images/IMG_0806_Orchid.JPG