Spranthes Orchid, was End of Season, was Bulbs for a, etc.

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
Sun, 18 Nov 2007 09:50:20 PST
Years ago I was shown a Spiranthes cernua site about a half an hour from
home. The site itself was a treeless hillside of perhaps an acre in area,
maybe less. Not only was it treeless, there was little other vegetation
except Cladonia lichens and Spiranthes - thousands of Spiranthes. You
couldn't walk through the area without stepping on them. As I recall, the
soil was clayish and seemed to have little organic matter and as mentioned
there was very little other vegetation. This hillside sloped at a steep
angle down to an impoundment which, to judge from the water plants growing
there, had permanent water. 

I've grown the widely distributed cultivar of Spiranthes cernua called
Chadd's Ford. For several years it swarmed over my bog trays, evidently
spreading by seed which (this is hard for me to believe but it seems to be
what happened) bloomed in the second or third year. Then the year came when
there were none. 

Jim McKenney
jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 where we're finally getting
some good bulb planting weather. 
My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/
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