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Taxon  Report  
Piperia unalascensis  (Spreng.) Rydb.
Alaska piperia,   Alaska rein orchid,   Rein orchid,   Slender spire orchid
Piperia unalascensis is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Piperia
Family: Orchidaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Northern Oak Woodland, Southern Oak Woodland, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
JEF + PLANTSHabenaria unalascensis
PLANTSPlatanthera cooperi
JEFPlatanthera foetida
PLANTSPlatanthera unalascensis
PLANTSSpiranthes unalascensis
Information about  Piperia unalascensis from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (PIUN3)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description, Range: Platanthera unalascensis is a species of orchid known by the common names slender-spire orchid, Alaska piperia and Alaska rein orchid. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska to the southwestern United States, as well as eastern sections of Canada and the Great Lakes. It can be found in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat, often in dry areas. This orchid grows erect to about 70 centimeters in maximum height. The basal leaves are up to 15 centimeters long by 4 wide. Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a slender, spikelike inflorescence of widely spaced translucent green flowers. The flowers are fragrant in the evenings, with a musky, soapy, or honeylike scent.[1] The plant is variable in size, stem thickness, density of inflorescence, petal shape, and scent.[1] Plants of the coast ranges and the Pacific Northwest are stouter and have broader sepals and petals than do interior and montane forms.[2] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 11/21/2024).