Spiranthes

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Orchidaceae
Subfamilia: Orchidoideae
Tribus: Cranichideae
Subtribus: Spiranthinae
Genus: Spiranthes
Overview of species (37)

S. aestivalis – S. arcisepala – S. australis – S. brevilabris – S. casei – S. cernua – S. delitescens – S. diluvialis – S. eatonii – S. flexuosa – S. graminea – S. igniorchis – S. incurva – S. infernalis – S. lacera – S. laciniata – S. longilabris – S. lucida – S. magnicamporum – S. nebulorum – S. niklasii – S. ochroleuca – S. odorata – S. ovalis – S. porrifolia – S. praecox – S. pusilla – S. romanzoffiana – S. sinensis - S. spiralis – S. suishanensis – S. sunii – S. sylvatica – S. torta – S. triloba – S. tuberosa – S. vernalis
Nothospecies: (8)

S. × eamesii – S. × heteroaustralis – S. × hongkongensis – S. × intermedia – S. × kapnosperia – S. × simpsonii – S. × stellata – S. × zahlbruckneri
Name

Spiranthes Rich., De Orchid. Eur.: 28 (1817), nom. cons.

Type species: Spiranthes spiralis (L.) Chevall., Fl. Gén. Env. Paris 2: 330 (1827)

Synonymy

Heterotypic
Orchiastrum Ség., Pl. Veron. 3: 252 (1754)
Triorchis Millán, Jac. Pet. Opera: t. 68, f. 7 (1765), nom. illeg.
Helictonia Ehrh., Beitr. Naturk. 4: 148 (1789)
Aristotelea Lour., Fl. Cochinch.: 522 (1790)
Gyrostachis Pers., Syn. Pl. 2: 511 (1807), nom. provis.
Ibidium Salisb., Trans. Hort. Soc. London 1: 291 (1812)
Tussacia Raf. ex Desv., Observ. Pl. Angers: 91 (1818)
Gyrostachys Pers. ex Dumort., Fl. Belg.: 134 (1827)
Monustes Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2: 87 (1837)
Orchiastrum Micheli ex Greene, Man. Bot. San Francisco: 305 (1894)
Triorchis Petiver ex Nieuwl., Amer. Midl. Naturalist 3: 122 (1913), orth. var.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Europe
Northern Europe
Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland.
Middle Europe
Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland.
Southwestern Europe
Baleares, Corse, France, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.
Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Romania, Sicilia, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia.
Eastern Europe
East European Russia, Ukraine.
Africa
Northern Africa
Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia.
Asia-Temperate
Siberia
Altay, Buryatiya, Chita, Irkutsk Krasnoyarsk, Tuva, West Siberia, Yakutiya.
Russian Far East
Amur, Khabarovsk, Kuril Islands, Primorye, Sakhalin.
Caucasus
North Caucasus, Transcaucasus,
Western Asia
Afghanistan, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Turkey.
China
China South-Central, Hainan, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, China North-Central, Qinghai, China Southeast, Tibet, Xinjiang.
Mongolia
Mongolia.
Eastern Asia
Japan, Korea, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan.
Asia-Tropical
Indian Subcontinent
Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Himalaya.
Indo-China
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.
Malesia
Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera.
Papuasia
New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
Australasia
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.
New Zealand
Chatham Islands, New Zealand North, New Zealand South.
Pacific
Southwestern Pacific
Niue, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu.
Northern America
Subarctic America
Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon.
Western Canada
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan.
Eastern Canada
New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Isle, Québec.
Northwestern U.S.A.
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming.
North-Central U.S.A.
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
Northeastern U.S.A.
Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Islands, Vermont, West Virginia.
Southwestern U.S.A.
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.
South-Central U.S.A.
New Mexico, Texas.
Southeastern U.S.A.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, District of Columbia.
Mexico
Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southwest, Mexico Southeast.
Southern America
Central America
Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua.
Caribbean
Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, Windward Islands.
Northern South America
French Guiana.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.W. & Rasmussen, F.N. (eds.) 2003. Genera Orchidacearum Volume 3: Orchidoideae (Part two); page 258 ff., Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850711-9
Richard, L.C.M. 1817. De Orchideis Europaeis Annotationes 28–29, 36–37.

Links

'eFloras 2009. Spiranthes in Flora of China vol. 25 Orchidaceae --> pdf Spiranthes
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Spiranthes in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 4. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Spiranthes in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 4. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Spiranthes. Published online. Accessed: 4 April 2020.
The Plant List 2013. Spiranthes in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 4.
Tropicos.org 2020. Spiranthes. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 4.

Vernacular names

العربية: لولوبة
Deutsch: Drehwurzen
English: Ladies'-tresses
فارسی: چنبره‌ای (سرده)
suomi: Kierrevilkat
hrvatski: Zasukica
hornjoserbsce: Wjertulka
italiano: Viticcini
日本語: ネジバナ
перем коми: Спирантес
коми: Спирантес
lietuvių: Sraigtenis
мокшень: Спирантес
кырык мары: Спирантес
Nederlands: Schroeforchis
polski: Kręczynka
русский: Спирантес
svenska: Skruvaxsläktet
Türkçe: İncisalebi
удмурт: Спирантес
Tiếng Việt: Gyrostachys
中文（简体）: 绶草属
中文（繁體）: 綬草屬

Spiranthes is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses.[2] The genus is distributed in the Americas, Eurasia, and Australia.[3] The genus name Spiranthes is derived from the Greek speira ("coil") and anthos ("flower"), and was inspired by the spirally arranged inflorescence.[3]
Spiranthes spiralis

Description

These are perennial herbs growing from fleshy root systems that range from slender to tuberous, and are occasionally stoloniferous. Most of the leaves are basal, but some species have leaves higher on the stem before the inflorescence matures, often taking the form of a sheath around the stem. The inflorescence is a terminal spike with flowers arranged in a characteristic loose or dense spiral. As in most other orchids, the flowers are resupinate, twisting during development into an upside-down position. The six tepals may be separate, or the three upper may be joined to form a hood over the lip petal. The lip is thin to somewhat fleshy, and two basal glands produce nectar. The flowers are usually white, cream, ivory, or yellowish, and two species have pink flowers; a few are also fragrant.[3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Spiranthes was first formally described in 1817 by Louis Claude Richard in his book De Orchideis Europaeis Annotationes.[1][5] The genus's name is derived from ancient Greek words meaning "a coil" and "a flower".[6]

Since its original description, the genus has undergone many taxonomic changes. Spiranthes once contained all the species from the subtribe Spiranthinae. In 1920, Spiranthes was split into 24 genera.[7] Revisions in 1951[8] and 1958[9] placed more species into the genus. During the 1990s it was divided again.[10]

Spiranthes has recently received increased attention from taxonomists and systematists, leading to new species discovery and the resolution of many long-term taxonomic questions.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

It is difficult to clearly define some of the species of this taxon because some of them are polymorphic, taking a number of different forms,[17] with some species belonging to species complexes involving several closely related and morphologically similar species (e.g., the S. cernua species complex;[18] S. parksii, a member of the S. cernua complex and probably a descendant of S. cernua. It has been suggested that this species is just another rare form).[17][19]
Species list
Spiranthes romanzoffiana

The following is a list of species accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as at May 2020:[1]

Spiranthes aestivalis (Poir.) Rich. (1817) – summer-flowering spiranthes (western & central Europe to northwestern Africa)
Spiranthes arcisepala M.C. Pace (2017) – Appalachian ladies'-tresses (Northeastern US & Maritime Canada)
Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl. – Austral ladies tresses (southern Caspian Sea and Himalayan Mountains to the South-West Pacific)
Spiranthes bightensis M.C. Pace (2021) – Atlantic ladies'-tresses (Mid-Atlantic USA)
Spiranthes brevilabris Lindl. (1840) – Texas ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA)
Spiranthes casei Catling & Cruise (1974) – Case's ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA)
Spiranthes casei var. casei
Spiranthes casei var. novaescotiae Catling (1981) (Nova Scotia)
Spiranthes cernua (L.) Rich. (1817) – nodding ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA)
Spiranthes delitescens Sheviak (1990) – reclusive ladies'-tresses (Southeastern Arizona)
Spiranthes diluvialis Sheviak (1984) – Ute's ladies'-tresses (Rocky Mountains USA)
Spiranthes × eamesii P.M.Br. (North-eastern U.S.A.)
Spiranthes eatonii Ames ex P.M.Br. (1999) – Eaton's ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA)
Spiranthes flexuosa (Sm.) Lindl. (1824) – Nepalese ladies'-tresses (Himalayan Mountains to SE Asia, southern Japan, and Indonesia)
Spiranthes floridana (Wherry) Cory (1936) – Florida ladies'-tresses (Florida and Texas)
Spiranthes graminea Lindl. (1840) – Canelo ladies'-tresses (Arizona, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua)
Spiranthes × hongkongensis S.Y.Hu & Barretto (1976) (South-eastern China, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, N. Borneo)
Spiranthes igniorchis M.C. Pace (2017) – fire ladies'-tresses (Florida)
Spiranthes incurva (Jenn.) M.C. Pace (2017) – Sphinx ladies'-tresses (Midwestern US & southern Canada)
Spiranthes infernalis Sheviak (1989) – Ash Meadows ladies'-tresses (Nevada)
Spiranthes × intermedia Ames (1903) (South-eastern Canada to north-eastern U.S.A.)
Spiranthes × kapnosperia M.C.Pace (2017) – Smoky ladies'-tresses (Smoky Mountains region)
Spiranthes lacera (Raf.) Raf. (1833) – northern slender ladies'-tresses (central and eastern Canada & USA)
Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis (Bigelow) Luer
Spiranthes lacera var. lacera
Spiranthes laciniata (Small) Ames (1905) – lace-lipped ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA)
Spiranthes longilabris Lindl. (1840) – giant-spiral ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA)
Spiranthes lucida (H.H.Eaton) Ames (1908) – shining ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA)
Spiranthes magnicamporum Sheviak (1973) – Great Plains ladies'-tresses (central and eastern Canada & USA)
Spiranthes maokensis M.C.Pace (2018) (Western New Guinea)
Spiranthes nebulorum Catling & V.R.Catling (1988) (Mexico, Guatemala)
Spiranthes niklasii M.C. Pace (2017) – Niklas' ladies'-tresses (Ouachita Mountains)
Spiranthes ochroleuca (Rydb.) Rydb. (1932) – yellow nodding ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA)
Spiranthes odorata (Nutt.) Lindl. (1840) – fragrant ladies'-tresses, marsh ladies'-tresses (southeastern USA)
Spiranthes ovalis Lindl. (1840) – October ladies'-tresses (eastern Canada & USA)
Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata Catling (1983)
Spiranthes ovalis var. ovalis Lindl.
Spiranthes perexilis (Sheviak) M.C. Pace (2019) – Slender starry ladies'-tresses (Sierra Nevada Mountains, USA)
Spiranthes porrifolia Lindl. (1840) – leek-leaved ladies'-tresses, creamy ladies'-tresses (western USA)
Spiranthes praecox (Walter) S.Watson in A.Gray (1890) – early-blooming spiranthes, green-vein ladies'-tresses (eastern USA)
Spiranthes pusilla (Blume) Miq. (1859) (Sumatra)
Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. (1828) – hooded ladies'-tresses (British Isles, North America)
Spiranthes × sierrae M.C.Pace (2019) (California)
Spiranthes × simpsonii Catling & Sheviak (1993) (Southeastern Canada to north-central U.S.A.)
Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames (1908) – Chinese Spiranthes (East Asia)
Spiranthes spiralis (L.) Chevall. (1827) – autumn ladies-tresses, spiraled Spiranthes (Europe, Mediterranean, Caucasus Mountains)
Spiranthes × stellata P.M.Br., Dueck & K.M.Cameron (2008) (Central California)
Spiranthes suishanensis (Hayata) Schltr. (1919) – Taiwan ladies'-tresses (Taiwan)
Spiranthes sunii Boufford & Wen H. Zhang (2008) (Gansu, China)
Spiranthes sylvatica P.M.Br. (2008) (Florida)
Spiranthes torta (Thunb.) Garay & H.R.Sweet in R.A.Howard (1974) – southern ladies'-tresses (Florida, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America)
Spiranthes triloba (Small) J.K. Schum. (1898) – Panther ladies'-tresses (Florida)
Spiranthes tuberosa Raf. (1833) – little ladies'-tresses (eastern USA)
Spiranthes vernalis Engelm. & A.Gray (1845) – spring ladies'-tresses (North America, Bahamas)
Spiranthes × zahlbruckneri H.Fleischm. (1910) (Europe)

Ecology
Pollination

Spiranthes are primarily pollinated by bumblebees, however other bee genera also pollinate various species, including halictid bees, and honey bees (particularly in Europe and Asia).[20][21][22]
References

"Spiranthes". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Spiranthes. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Spiranthes. Flora of North America.
Spiranthes. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
Richard, Louis Claude (1817). De Orchideis Europaeis Annotationes. Paris. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780958034180.
Schlechter, R. (1920). Versuch einer systematischen Neuordnung der Spiranthinae. Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37 317–454. (in German)
Williams, L. O. The Orchidaceae of Mexico - 4 Volumes. Ceiba Tegucigalpa. 1951.
Schweinfurth, C. Orchids of Peru. Fieldiana Bot. 30 1–260. 1958.
Szlachetko, D. L. (1996). Studies on Spirantheae Orchidaceae: I. Varia. Fragmenta Floristica et Geobotanica 41(2), 845-63.
Dueck, L. A.; Aygoren, D.; Cameron, K. M. (2014-09-01). "A molecular framework for understanding the phylogeny of Spiranthes (Orchidaceae), a cosmopolitan genus with a North American center of diversity". American Journal of Botany. 101 (9): 1551–1571. doi:10.3732/ajb.1400225. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 25253714.
Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (December 2016). "Reinstatement, Redescription, and Emending of Spiranthes triloba (Orchidaceae): Solving a 118 year old cryptic puzzle". Systematic Botany. 41 (4): 924–939. doi:10.1600/036364416x694026. S2CID 90359676.
Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (2019). "The evolutionary and systematic significance of hybridization between taxa of Spiranthes (Orchidaceae) in the California Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range". Taxon. 68 (2): 199–217. doi:10.1002/tax.12034. ISSN 1996-8175.
Pace, Matthew C.; Giraldo, Giovanny; Frericks, Jonathan; Lehnebach, Carlos A.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (2019-01-01). "Illuminating the systematics of the Spiranthes sinensis species complex (Orchidaceae): ecological speciation with little morphological differentiation". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 189 (1): 36–62. doi:10.1093/botlinnean/boy072. ISSN 0024-4074.
Pace, Matthew C. (2021-04-30). "Spiranthes bightensis (Orchidaceae), a New and Rare Cryptic Hybrid Species Endemic to the U. S. Mid-Atlantic Coast". Phytotaxa. 498 (3): 159–176. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.498.3.2. ISSN 1179-3163.
Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (2017). "The Systematics of the Spiranthes cernua Species Complex (Orchidaceae): Untangling the Gordian Knot". Systematic Botany. 42 (4): 640–669. doi:10.1600/036364417x696537. S2CID 90432295.
Dueck, L. A. and K. M. Cameron, K. M. (2007). Sequencing re-defines Spiranthes relationships, with implications for rare and endangered taxa. Lankesteriana 7(1-2), 190-95.
Spiranthes cernua. Flora of North America.
Spiranthes parksii. Flora of North America.
Catling, Paul M. (1982-12-01). "Breeding systems of northeastern North American Spiranthes (Orchidaceae)". Canadian Journal of Botany. 60 (12): 3017–3039. doi:10.1139/b82-358. ISSN 0008-4026.
Tao, Zhi-Bin; Ren, Zong-Xin; Bernhardt, Peter; Liang, Huan; Li, Hai-Dong; Zhao, Yan-Hui; Wang, Hong; Li, De-Zhu (2018). "Does reproductive isolation reflect the segregation of color forms in Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames complex (Orchidaceae) in the Chinese Himalayas?". Ecology and Evolution. 8 (11): 5455–5469. doi:10.1002/ece3.4067. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 6010815. PMID 29938065.
Catling, Paul M. (1983-04-01). "Pollination of northeastern North American Spiranthes (Orchidaceae)". Canadian Journal of Botany. 61 (4): 1080–1093. doi:10.1139/b83-116. ISSN 0008-4026.