About Satyrium bracteatum (L.f.) Thunb.
Satyrium bracteatum (L.f.) Thunb. grows from fleshy, forked roots and reaches a height between 10 and 55 cm (3.9 to 22 in). Dactylorhiza viridis plants produce 2 to 6 alternate leaves per individual. Basal leaves on the orchid measure 5–14 cm (2.0–5.5 in) long and 2–7 cm (0.8–2.8 in) wide, and have an obovate to elliptical shape; leaves growing higher on the stem are lanceolate in shape. The inflorescence of this orchid is a dense spike-like raceme that holds 7 to 70 small flowers. Flowers are greenish, and often tinged with purple, reddish, or red-brown. Conspicuous long, tapering bracts sit below each flower; these bracts measure 1–6 cm (0.4–2 in) long, with lower bracts being longer and typically much longer than the flower itself. The sepals are oval with little to no pointed tip, 3–7 mm long and 2–4 mm wide, and dark green. Sepals join with the petals to form a hood opposite the flower’s labellum, the lower petal. Petals are long and narrow, 3.5–5 mm long and around 0.5 mm wide, and curve inwards. The labellum is strap-shaped and usually split at the very tip into two or three tooth-like divisions, with the middle tooth smaller than the others. It measures 5–11 mm long and 1–4 mm wide. A 2–3 mm long nectar spur projects out behind the labellum. Dactylorhiza viridis flowers in late May and early June. It can be pollinated by bees and small wasps, or reproduce autogamously via incoherent pollinia: the pollinia crumble, and some pollen falls onto the stigma to fertilize the flower. In North America, Dactylorhiza viridis can be confused with Platanthera flava, the pale green orchid, but can be most easily distinguished by its labellum, which is notched at the apex and lacks the tubercle found in P. flava. Dactylorhiza viridis has a broad distribution across cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including most of Europe, non-tropical Asia (such as Russia, Japan, China, and the upper Himalayas), most of Canada, and parts of the United States (Alaska, the Northeast, the Appalachians, the Great Lakes Region, the Northern Great Plains, and the Rocky Mountains). It typically grows in moist, rich soil in wet meadows, moist or wet deciduous woods and thickets, and is often found growing on steep slopes. Ecologically, Dactylorhiza viridis is mainly pollinated by beetles and a wide range of Hymenoptera, including ants. This orchid species can form symbiotic relationships with a variety of fungi, including Ceratobasidium sp., Epulorhiza anaticulata, Moniliopsis anomala, Rhizoctonia sp., Tulasnella cucumeris and Tulasnella calospora.
