Calopogon tuberosus

Tuberous grass pink
Ottawa, Ontario

Secure (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Arethuseae
Genus: Calopogon
Species:
C. tuberosus
Binomial name
Calopogon tuberosus
Synonyms[4]
List
    • Bletia tuberosa (L.) Ames
    • Calopogon pulchellus Fernald
    • Calopogon pulchellus (Salisb.) R.Br.
    • Calopogon pulchellus f. albiflorus (Britton) Fernald
    • Calopogon pulchellus f. latifolius H.St.John
    • Calopogon pulchellus var. latifolius (H.St.John) Fernald
    • Calopogon pulchellus var. simpsonii (Small) Ames ex Correll
    • Calopogon tuberosus f. albiflorus Britton
    • Calopogon tuberosus var. latifolius (H.St.John) B.Boivin
    • Calopogon tuberosus f. niveus P.M.Br.
    • Cathea pulchella (Salisb.) Salisb.
    • Cathea pulchella f. albiflora (Britton) House
    • Cathea pulchella f. latifolia (Britton) House
    • Cathea pulchella f. linearifolia House
    • Cathea tuberosa (L.) Morong
    • Cymbidium pulchellum (Salisb.) Sw.
    • Helleborine tuberosa (L.) Kuntze
    • Limodorum pulchellum Salisb.
    • Limodorum simpsonii Small
    • Limodorum tuberosum L.
    • Limodorum tuberosum f. albiflorum House
    • Limodorum tuberosum f. latifolium (H.St.John) House
    • Limodorum tuberosum f. linariifolium House
    • Limodorum tuberosum var. nanum Nieuwl.

Calopogon tuberosus, the tuberous grass pink, is an orchid native to eastern North America.[3] It is a perennial forb.[5]

Description

The main identifying features of C. tuberosus are the species' prominent hairs positioned on the lip of a petal (sometimes referred to as "the Beard") and the smell produced by the flower.[6]

Individuals have one (occasionally two) linear basal leaves. Flowers are magenta, pink, or rarely white in color, and the middle petal is distinctively oblong-elliptic in shape. The flowers of C. tuberosus are unique among orchids for being upside down relative to other orchids.[7] The average maximum root depth has been found to be 7 centimeters (approximately 2.75 inches).[8]

Distribution and habitat

In the United States, it occurs from as far southwest as Texas and Oklahoma and southeast to the Florida Everglades to as far northeast as Maine and as far northwest as Minnesota. In Canada, it is found in all provinces from Newfoundland to Manitoba. It also is found in St. Pierre & Miquelon, Cuba and the Bahamas.[9][10][11]

From April to September, C. tuberosus may be found in habitats such as sandhill seeps, floating peat mats, and savannas.[12] It may also be found in habitats such as fens, bogs, pine flatwoods, and marl prairies.[13]

Ecology

C. tuberosus is pollinated by bumblebees despite a lack of nectar incentive. Bumblebees, while looking for nonexistent nectar, weigh down the hinged lip causing the bee to be moved into contact with the pollinarium. The pollinarium is sticky and then can be flown by the bee to pollinate another orchid.[7]

Subspecies

  • Calopogon tuberosus var. simpsonii (Small) Magrath
  • Calopogon tuberosus var. tuberosus

Conservation status

It is listed as "G5 - Secure" under the NatureServe conservation status system.[2] However it is listed as an endangered species by the states of Illinois, Kentucky, and Maryland, and as exploitably vulnerable by New York.[14]

  • Wild pink orchid
  • Flower and buds in Saco Heath, Maine

References

  1. ^ Maiz-Tome, L. (2017). "Calopogon tuberosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T64269039A67728618. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T64269039A67728618.en. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b NatureServe (9 January 2026). "Calopogon tuberosus". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b Justice, William S.; Bell, C. Ritchie; Lindsey, Anne H. (2005). Wild Flowers of North Carolina (2. printing. ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press. p. 53. ISBN 0807855979.
  4. ^ "Calopogon tuberosus (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  5. ^ "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  6. ^ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  7. ^ a b "Tuberous Grass Pink". www.fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  8. ^ Brackley, F. E. (1985). "The Orchids of New Hampshire." Rhodora 87(849): 1-117.
  9. ^ Kartesz, John T. (2014). "Calopogon tuberosus". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
  10. ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  11. ^ NRCS. "Calopogon tuberosus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  12. ^ Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  13. ^ Kauth, Philip J.; Kane, Michael E.; Vendrame, Wagner A. (February 2011). "Comparative in vitro germination ecology of Calopogon tuberosus var. tuberosus (Orchidaceae) across its geographic range". In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant. 47 (1): 148–156. Bibcode:2011IVCDB..47..148K. doi:10.1007/s11627-010-9316-5. ISSN 1054-5476.
  14. ^ "Calopogon tuberosus (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. var. tuberosus, tuberous grasspink – Legal Status". Plants Database. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019.
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