Piperia cooperi

Chaparral rein-orchid

Family: Orchidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Chaparral rein-orchid is a California native perennial found in southern California coastal regions, Santa Catalina Island, San Gabriel Mountains, and Peninsular Ranges in dry scrub, chaparral, woodland, and forest habitats at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this orchid produces delicate green flowers with a distinctive honey-like fragrance, featuring a small deltate-ovate lip and spreading lateral petals. Growing 14 to 90 centimeters tall with an open flowering axis, it develops from a slender stem with characteristics typical of orchid growth patterns. Its basal leaves are notable, measuring 8 to 20 centimeters long and 8 to 31 millimeters wide, providing a robust foundation for the plant's delicate floral structure. The orchid's unique spur ranges from 2.5 to 9 millimeters long, typically pointing back or downward.

Habitat: Generally dry sites, scrub, chaparral, woodland, forest

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: SCo, s ChI (Santa Catalina Island), SnGb, PR

California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Monterey

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