John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant
Society’s
Wildflower of the Spot – February 2009
CRANEFLY ORCHID
Tipularia discolor
A familiar site
in rich woods in the winter is the single leaf of the
summer-blooming cranefly orchid. This species usually
occurs in colonies – several leaves, each representing a
single plant, are usually seen together. Green on the
upper surface, the underside is shining purple. The top
surface may be smooth or corrugated, but the underside
is always beet red.
When the orchid blooms in mid-July,
no leaves are visible. The flower of Cranefly orchid is
very delicate and inconspicuous. Pale green and pale
purple to beige, no more than ½ inch across, it is
easily overlooked, unlike the winter leaf which signals
the presence of this orchid. The flowers are only
noticed when a shaft of slanting fall sunlight
highlights what reminds some people of a swarm of small
insects - hence "cranefly." The genus name of the
cranefly is Tipula. Another common name is
Elfin's Spur.
Another common name, “Crippled
Cranefly” refers to the flowers which incline slightly
to the right or left. This is necessary for pollination
by night-flying moths, when the pollen-bearing sacs
become attached to the moth’s eye.
Cranefly orchid is not usually
available in nurseries since, like all native orchids,
it is dependent on fungi in the ground and all parts of
the plant are basically inconspicuous. However, on a
walk through local woods in the winter, the green
leaves are a
welcome sight in the midst of
brown leaf litter.
Growing
naturally in nearly all counties of Virginia, Cranefly
orchid is found in rich damp woods from Massachusetts to
southern Michigan, Florida and east Texas.
By
Helen Hamilton, president of the John Clayton Chapter,
VNPS
Photo:
Leaves of
Cranefly Orchid
(Tipularia discolor); taken by Helen Hamilton
