Spiranthes tuberosa var. gracili s, or Southern Slender Ladies' Tresses, is a perennial wildflower in the orchid family that is native to the eastern United States. Note that this plant is under some stress being listed as threatened in Florida, vulnerable in New York, endangered in Rhode Island, and locally extinct in parts of Pennsylvania. As a wildflower, it is typically found on ridgetops, rocky woodlands, and bluff crowns. It grows best in full sun to light shade with good drainage. Southern Slender Ladies' Tresses gets its name from the plant's flowers, which display as a tightly to loosely packed spike cluster of tiny, white, trumpet-like flowers spiraling up at the tip of a slender stem, though occasionally the flowers are arranged in a (more or less) straight column up one side. Basal leaves are variable but generally oval-elliptic and typically wither away by flowering time. There are two varieties of Southern Slender Ladies' Tresses. The variation gracilis is the more southern species and associated with open meadows from the eastern Great Plains and throughout the southeastern US. The other variation, lacera , is considered a northern variant and prefers dry sandy soils often associated with stands of Jack pine throughout the Great Lakes and New England. Lacera is distinguished from var. gracilis by hairs on the stem, basal leaves persisting through flowering time, and usually 8 to 10 flowers in a cycle of the spiral.
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 sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Erect
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Basal leaves are variable but generally oval-elliptic, up to 2 inches long and to ¾ inch wide, and typically wither away by flowering time. A few sheathing, bract-like leaves are scattered along the stem.
Flower color
Green; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Trumpet
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Blooms from mid-summer to fall. Flower is white with a tip that has a green stripe on the upper surface. The smooth flowers are tightly spiraled. Individual flowers are ¼ inch or less in length, often nodding, the narrow lateral sepals spread wide like open arms with the lance-like lateral petals and upper sepal closely aligned, their tapered tips flared up, making a three parted hood above the frilly, broadly spreading lower lip. The center of the lower lip is tinged green or yellow. An erect, sharply tapered oval green bract encloses the ovary at each flower's base. A spiral typically has 4 to 6 flowers in a cycle