Calopogon pallidus

Plants 15–50(–67) cm. Corms globose to elongate, rarely forked, 11–26 mm. Leaves not appressed to inflorescence at flowering; blade linear, 7–23 cm × 2–6 mm. Inflorescences green or slightly purple at base, becoming entirely green after flowering, 20–62 cm; floral bracts ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–4.5 mm. Flowers 3–20, more than 1 cm apart, opening sequentially, magenta, pale pink, or white, faintly fragrant; dorsal sepal oblanceolate, 12–20 × 4.5–6 mm; lateral sepals widely spreading (reflexed), ovate to lanceolate, falcate, 10–15 × 5–9 mm, apex acuminate; petals lanceolate to weakly pandurate, falcate, 9–18 × 3–5.5 mm, apex acuminate; lip 9–13 mm, middle lobe with dilated apex triangular, 5–11 mm wide, apex truncate, retuse to apiculate; column 7–11 × 1–1.5 mm, distal end 6–9 mm wide; rostellum present. Capsules ellipsoid to obconic, 11–23 × 4–8 mm. 2n = 40, 42.

Phenology: Flowering Mar–Jun, rarely Jul–Aug.
Habitat: Moist to wet acid pine savannas and grasslands, flowering abundantly several weeks after late winter to early spring fires
Elevation: 0–100 m

Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Va.

Discussion

Specimens of plants from western Louisiana reported as Calopogon pallidus (A. M. Pridgeon and L. E. Urbatsch 1977) are actually C. oklahomensis.

Natural hybrids of Calopogon multiflorus and C. pallidus have been observed in central Florida, and collections of other such hybrids are known from peninsular Florida (D. H. Goldman 2000; D. H. Goldman and L. S. Orzell 2000).

Calopogon pallidus is distinguished by its relatively widely spaced flowers in a long spike, one to three flowers opening simulataneously, lateral sepals typically falcate and reflexed, and petals entire to barely obpandurate and falcate. The blooming period is longer, and C. pallidus flowers later than all species of Calopogon, with the exception of C. tuberosus.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa