Piperia colemanii

Coleman's rein-orchid

Family: Orchidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Coleman's rein-orchid is a rare (CNPS 4.3) California native perennial found in northern Coast Ranges, California Range, and Sierra Nevada in open conifer forest and scrub at elevations of 1,300 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from June to August, this orchid produces translucent green flowers with delicate, sickle-shaped lateral petals and a small, strongly upcurved lip. Growing 16 to 53 centimeters tall with a slender, sparsely flowered inflorescence, it emerges from a grass-like basal leaf that ranges from 6 to 16 centimeters long. Its single basal leaf is narrow, measuring 3 to 10 millimeters wide, with a grass-like appearance. The flower's distinctive features include a lance-deltate lip and a short, club-shaped spur measuring 1 to 2.5 millimeters long.

Habitat: Open conifer forest, scrub

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1300-2000 m

Bioregions: NCoRH, CaRH, SN.

California counties: Mariposa, Tulare, Plumas, Tuolumne, Fresno, Placer, Shasta, Siskiyou, Butte, Colusa, Madera, Stanislaus

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.