Spiranthes perexilis

Slender starry ladies' tresses

Family: Orchidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Slender starry ladies' tresses is a California native perennial found in high elevation wetlands of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in bogs, wet meadows, and seeps at elevations of 1,400 to 2,800 meters. Flowering from July to September, this delicate orchid produces white to pale yellow bell-shaped flowers arranged in an open, lax spiral. Growing 20 to 40 centimeters tall with a slender, elegant form, the plant emerges from linear-lanceolate basal leaves that taper gracefully. Its distinctive white flowers have a fiddle-shaped lip, creating an intricate and subtle botanical display characteristic of rare high-altitude wetland orchids.

Habitat: Bogs, wet meadows, fens, seeps, wet roadsides

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 1400-2800 m

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