Noddingladies’ tresses is the most common of Missouri’s eight species of ladies' tresses. The flowers are arranged in a spiral pattern on the upright flowering stem. Each small flower is a little white orchid. This is a classic bog plant. NoddingLadiesTresses spread slowly by rhizomes to form colonies under optimum growing conditions. Each flower is about 1/3 of an inch long, consisting of 3 white sepals and 3 white petals. Spiranthes cernua, commonly called noddinglady's tresses,[2] or noddingladies' tresses,[3] is a species of orchid occurring from Maritime Canada to the eastern and southern United States. As the common name suggests cernua means "nodding", or "bowed" in Latin. Discover the NoddingLadyTresses from Carnivorous Plant Nursery!NoddingLadyTresses, Spiranthes odorata, is a delightful fall blooming bog orchid with a spiral of white flowers on a tall stem. Each blossom "nods", or tips down slightly, giving it its name. Like most Ladies' Tresses, NoddingLadies' Tresses are small plants. A view looking straight down on a nice raceme of NoddingLadies' Tresses flowers. Note how they are more or less arranged in ranks of three. Lady’s tresses orchids are sturdy plants suitable for growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. The optimum conditions for growing noddinglady’s tresses consists of moist, acidic soil and partial shade. NoddingLadies' Tresses Spiranthes cernua Orchid family (Orchidaceae). Description: This perennial plant is usually 4-12" tall and unbranched. There is a rosette of 2-6 strap-like basal leaves that are individually about 3-8" long and 1/3" (8 mm.) across. Other names: NoddingLadies'-tresses, Ladies'-tresses, NoddingLady's Tresses, Ibidium Cernuum, Spiranthes Cernua Var.Medium. How to Care for the Plant. Water. New York’s NoddingLadies. Posted in Gardens and Collections on , by Matt Newman. Spiranthes cernua Ladies’ tresses orchids aren’t the most flamboyant flowers in the redesigned Native Plant Garden. Noddingladies’ tresses, Spiranthes cernua Noddingladies’ tresses spiral down a staircase in a coordinated step-wise fashion, they outpace their bee suitors in elegant white. It’s no wonder the bees start from the bottom of the staircase to intercept the best of their nectar. NoddingLadies’ Tresses orchids bear their tiny flowers in a “double, intertwined” spiraling fashion along the stem. The entire inflorescence starts off as an elegant twist of buds, and then each tubular flower unfurls slowly from the bottom to the top. Mt. Cuba Center formerly classified this cultivar as Chadds Ford noddingladies-tresses (Spiranthes cernua ‘Chadds Ford’), but now supports new research that ‘Chadds Ford’ is a cultivar of Atlantic ladies’-tresses (Spiranthes bightensis). Common Name: NoddingLadies' Tresses. Plant Type: Perennial forb. Species Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family).
