Bog Adder's Mouth Orchid

Malaxis paludosa sometimes reproduces asexually by production of gemmae on the leaf tips (R. L. Taylor 1967).

Plants 3–23 cm. Roots fine. Pseudobulbs 4–8 mm diam. Leaves 2–3, basal; blade elliptic or narrowly elliptic, 0.3–3.5 × 0.1–1.5 cm. Inflorescences spicate racemes, 0.5–9 cm; floral bracts lanceolate, 1.4–3.3 mm; pedicels 2–3 mm. Flowers 2–55, not resupinate, green or yellowish green; dorsal sepal ovate-lanceolate, (1.6–)2–2.5 × 1–1.6 mm, apex acuminate; lateral sepals reflexed, elliptic, falcate, (1.6–)2.5 × 1–1.6 mm, apex acuminate; petals strongly recurved, ovate-lanceolate, 1.4–1.9 × 0.5–1 mm, apex acuminate; lip ovate with dark green veins, 1.2–1.8 × 0.7– 1 mm, base cuneate, apex unlobed, acuminate; column (0.3–)0.5–0.7 × (0.3–)0.5–0.7 mm; pollinia yellow. Capsules ascending, ellipsoid, 4 × 2 mm. 2n = 28.

Alta., B.C., Man., N.W.T., Ont., Sask. Yukon; Alaska, Minn.; Eurasia.

Flowering summer.

Open sphagnum bogs, swampy woods; 10--300m.

Ophrys paludosa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 947. 1753; Epipactis paludosa (Linnaeus) F. W. Schmidt; Hammarbya paludosa (Linnaeus) Kuntz; Sturmia paludosa (Linnaeus) Reichenbach