Spiranthes romanzoffiana
hooded ladies’-tresses

Alaska Wildflowers | White

Spiranthes romanzoffiana
hooded ladies’-tresses

Common Names

hooded ladies’-tresses
hooded lady’s tresses
Romanozoff’s ladies tresses
spiranthe de Romanzoff

Synonyms

Gyrostachys stricta
Ibidium strictum
Spiranthes stricta

Subspecies

none

Hybrid parent of Spiranthes x simpsonii

Genus: Spiranthes
Family: Orchidaceae (orchid family)
Order: Asparagales
taxonomic heirarchy

Etymology

The genus name Spiranthes is derived from the Greek words speira (σπείρα) meaning “coil” or “spiral,” and anthos (ἄνθος) meaning “flower.” This name refers to the distinctive spiral arrangement of the flowers around the stem, characteristic of plants in this genus.

The species epithet romanzoffiana honors Count Nikolai Romanzoff (also spelled Romanzov or Romanzoff), a Russian statesman and patron of exploration in the early 19th century. Romanzoff was a key supporter of the Russian expedition that led to the collection of this species, thus the plant was named in recognition of his contributions.

The common name “hooded ladies’-tresses” refers to the plant’s twisted inflorescence and delicate flowers resembling a braid or hair tress. The term “hooded” refers to how the flowers partially enclose or “hood” the reproductive organs, creating a distinctive shape typical of many orchids in this genus. The plural form “tresses” refers to the braided appearance created by the spiraled arrangement of the flowers.

Duration – Growth Habit

Perennial – Forb/herb

Identification and Information

Vegetative morphology:

Spiranthes romanzoffiana, commonly known as hooded ladies’-tresses, is a white-flowering perennial herb in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It grows from fleshy, tuberous roots with a few fibrous roots. The plant is single-stemmed with a few sheathed, linear to linear-lanceolate basal leaves, each 5-20 cm long. These basal leaves persist through flowering. The cauline (stem) leaves are alternate, reduced, and sheathed. The uppermost leaves are highly reduced bracts.

Reproductive morphology:

The inflorescence consists of a dense, bracted, cylindrical, terminal spike of flowers arranged in a spiral pattern, typically with 3-4 flowers per cycle (rarely 5). The flowers are creamy-white at the tip to greenish-white near the stem and bilaterally symmetric, characteristic of orchids. The floral bracts are 10-20 mm long, approximately the length of the flowers.

Each flower has three sepals and three petals. The lateral sepals are narrowly egg-shaped (narrowly ovate) with recurved tips. The uppermost sepal and the two lateral-upper petals are fused at the base and form a 7-12 mm long tubular hood. The lowermost petal, often called the lip, is concave, strongly constricted from the middle to the base, and ends in a broader deltoid to ovate lobe.

The fruit is a 10 mm long, three-chambered capsule containing many monoembryonic seeds, each producing a single embryo.

Hybrids from with S. lacera var. lacera and are known as Spiranthes x simpsonii.

Uses

For information only (typically historical) – I take no responsibility for adverse effects from the use of any plant.

Few sources provide detailed information on the traditional uses of Spiranthes romanzoffiana. The Native American Ethnobotany Database (NAEB) cites The Ethno-Botany of the Gosiute Indians of Utah, which mentions that the plant was used to treat venereal disease. However, it does not specify which parts of the plant were used or how they were prepared. Additionally, The Flora of Dempster Country notes that the roots were used as aphrodisiacs and placed in infant baths to promote general health, but I could not find corroborating primary sources for these uses.

Distribution and Habitat

Map data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), NatureServe Explorer, and Kew

Spiranthes romanzoffiana is found throughout North America, including Alaska, all of Canada, and the northern and western states in the US. It is also present in the United Kingdom (including Scotland) and Ireland.

It grows in wet meadows, bogs, bog forests, tundra, marshes, lake shores, and stream banks.

Classification

References and Further Reading

Guidebook

Pratt, V. E. (1989). Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers: Commonly Seen Along Highways and Byways (p. 73). Alaskakrafts, inc.

Johnson, D., Kershaw, L., & MacKinnon, A. (2020). Plants of the Western Forest: Alaska to Minnesota Boreal and Aspen Parkland (3rd ed., p. 95). Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1772130591.

Brandenburg, D. M. 2010. National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America. Sterling Publishing. (p. 389)

Classification and Taxonomy

Canadensys. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. VASCAN: The Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/6949?lang=en

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=43473#null

USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. Plants Database. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=SPRO

Uses

Native American Ethnobotany Database. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/3801/

Map and Distribution

Global Biodiversity Information Facility. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://www.gbif.org/species/2805404

NatureServe Explorer. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.136951/Spiranthes_romanzoffiana

Kew Science. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:242629-2

Description and Information

Flora of North America Editorial Committee. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. Flora of North America. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from http://floranorthamerica.org/Spiranthes_romanzoffiana

Hultén, E. (1968). Flora of Alaska and Neighboring Territories: A Manual of the Vascular Plants (1st ed.) (pg. 325). Stanford University Press.

Ecological Atlas of Denali’s Flora. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://ecologicalatlas.uaf.edu/index.php/browse-plant-species/atlas-page/?nps_id=1918

University of British Columbia. (2024). Spiranthes romanzoffiana Cham. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Spiranthes%20romanzoffiana&redblue=Both&lifeform=7

USDA Forest Service. (n.d.). Spiranthes romanzoffiana (hooded ladies’ tresses). Wildflowers of the United States. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/spiranthes_romanzoffiana.shtml

Dempster Country Flora. (n.d.). Spiranthes romanzoffiana (hooded ladies’ tresses). Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://www.flora.dempstercountry.org/0.Site.Folder/Species.Program/Species.php?species_id=Spira.roma