Yosemite's Sierra Rein Orchid

An orchid is always a find and I recognize with delight one of Yosemite's most radiant orchids, the Sierra Rein Orchid.....Habenaria dilatata var. leuchstacys.   This variation of the Sierra Rein Orchid decorating this part of the meadow.....sits among the Camus Lilies and Shooting Stars.

The first time I met this flower was in Tuolumne Meadows on a walk with Ranger-Naturalist Carl Sharsmith on September 3, 1993.....you make notes of special occasions like these.....Carl and orchids....on that day, he also showed me Spiranthes....Hooded Ladies' Tresses......on the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River !!!!!!!!!!!!

The Sierra Rein Orchid has beautiful white terminal spikes*.  Each tiny white blossom has a spur** petal that is much longer than the tip petal.  The stem is 1-3 feet tall with thick lance-like leaves.  Found in bogs or moist meadows from 4000-10000 feet.

• Spike...an elongate, unbranched inflorescence in which the flowers are all sessile.  Sessile...not on a stalk, situated directly on the stem.  Inflorescence...the cluster of flowers on a plant.
• Spur...a pouch-like to linear process near the base and extending away from the tip of the petal.

Habenaria  means rein....for the spurs on the flower remind you....or the botanist who named the flower.....of a horse's reins. Dilatata means spread out.

From John Muir's The Yosemite, "And there are several fine orchids, habenariaa, and cypripedium, the latter very rare, once common in the Valley near the foot of Glacier Point, and in a bog on the rim of the Valley near a place called Gentry's Station, now abandoned.  It is a very beautiful species, the large oval lip white, delicately veined with purple;  the other petals and the sepals purple, strap-shaped, and elegantly curled and twisted."

From Dana C. Morgenson's Yosemite Wildflower Trails, "Another plant to look for in these bog-garden meadows is the Sierra Rein Orchid (Habenaria dilatata var. leuchstacys), one of almost a dozen members of the orchid family in Yosemite National Park.  It grows as as a tall,  thick stalk with clasping leaves, terminating in a spike of tiny, white flowers, each one about 1/2 inch long.  These pillars of bloom stand 1 to 3 feet high in very wet areas, like ghostly accent marks to the meadows' flowering statements.  Although the individual blossoms are very small, their structure leaves no doubt they are true orchids.  They are found in moist areas from Yosemite Valley to 10,000 feet elevation, from late May to early August;  Summit Meadow, along the Glacier Point Road, is a typical habitat for them in July."

• Sierra Rein Orchid  (Habenaria dilatata var. leuchstacys).
• Belongs to Orchidaceae-Orchid Family.
• Orchid....plants with 3 petals, one of which is lip-shaped.

Perennials from short or elongated rhizome with fibrous to fleshy roots.  Leaves sheathing, often reduced to scales.  The flowers are perfect, irregular, bracted. Habenaria....flowers in vertical rows;  lips conspicuously spurred.

Terrestrial herbs with fleshy tuber-like roots.  Stems erect, unbranched.  Leaves mostly sessile.  Inflorescence a terminal spike or raceme.  Petals shorter than sepals;  lip with a basal spur.  The roots of most species may be eaten raw or cooked;  however, orchids are rare and should be used for fold only in need.

Dilatata....flowers white;  stems leafy;  Inflorescence dense. Yes, an orchid is always a "find !"  Finding the Sierra Rein Orchid today.... brought back happy memories of my friend Carl Sharsmith and his love of Yosemite's wildflowers.

Stay with Scenic Wonders.......in Yosemite West.....the closest location to the beautiful flowers growing along the Glacier Point Road and the Glacier Point trails.  Get a good night's rest.....not thinking about telephones.....take the time to smell the roses and other flowers.   In the morning .....when you rise.....think about the many happy flowers to see this day.....and all the birds...and bees...and butterflies...

Another terrific day in Yosemite