Green Adder's Mouth (Malaxis unifolia)
Part of the Florida's Native and Naturalized Orchids Website
Classification:Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular Plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida - Monocotyledons
Subclass: Liliidae - Lily/related subclass
Order: Orchidales - Orchid order
Family: Orchidaceae - Orchid Family
Subfamily: Epidendroideae - Epidendroids
Tribe: Malaxideae - Malaxids
Subtribe: Malaxidinae - Malaxis and related
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Distribution Map: |
Description: Summary: Plants terrestrial, consisting of a single, round leaf. Flower stem a raceme with numerous (up to 100) green, nearly microscopic flowers with a sharply bilobed lip. Flowering stems start very compact, lengthening over time as the flowers are borne sequentially over several months' time. Common Name: Green Adder's Mouth Habitat: Semi-dry, mesic mixed pine/hardwood forests. Flowering season: February through May (peaking in April) |
Images:
Description:
These diminutive orchids are seldom seen in Florida, with their single leaves blending in quite nicely with the surrounding vegetation. Not all plants in a colony will flower. Those that do will produce a single flowering stem from within the leaf's axil.
The tiny flowers, only about 4mm across, start out in a raceme with a very compact top, the bud arrangement resembling a minute, green pine cone. As the raceme lengthens, individual flowers will open sequentially over a long period of time. Each flower has a deeply bilobed lip, giving the impression of a pair of tiny fangs (hence the common name of Adder's Mouth). It requires a good hand lens or an extremely good macro lens to appreciate the tiny flowers in all their microscopic glory.
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