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Butterfly Orchid

Platanthera (pla-TAN-ther-uh)

Family: Orchidaceae Native Herbaceous

Plants in this genus of wildflowers belong to the orchid family and are known as Butterfly Orchids or Fringed Orchids. There are about 100 species with 37 being native to North America. They grow in a wide range of soil types and habitats with most requiring moderate moisture. The flowers are generally borne singly in various colors and can be sparse to dense and showy. In NC, P. psycodes is a small purple Fringed Orchid native to the mountains and is 1 of 16 native to our state. However, many are threatened or rare. Depending on the variety, they could be used in wetland or woodland sites.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 24 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Wildflower
Life cycle
Perennial
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lower leaves are lance-shaped, smaller upper leaves
Flower color
Green; Orange; Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower detail
Flowers are orchid in shape and can have fringed lower lips or not. Some have long spurs. Various colors.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Stem detail
1 to 2 foot stem
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Native Garden
Garden tags
#NC Native Pollinator Plant #wildflower #orchid #NC native #wetland #wetland margins

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.