IRIDACEAE, the Iris Family
Herbs, with 6-parted perianth, inferior ovary, and 3 stamens.
| 1a. Flowers blue, 5 cm. wide or larger [— 2.] | |
| 1b. Flowers about 1 cm. wide (blue or white, from a spathe terminating a 2-edged stem 2-5 dm. high, spring and early summer) (Blue-eyed Grass) [— 3.] | |
| 2a. Flowering stems 4-8 dm. high (early summer) | Blue Flag, Iris versicolor. |
| 2b. Flowering stems 2 dm. or less high (spring) | Dwarf Iris, Iris lacustris. |
| 3a. Spathes terminal, sessile [— 4.] | |
| 3b. Spathes long-peduncled, axillary [— 8.] | |
| 4a. Spathe single [— 5.] | |
| 4b. Spathes 2 on each flowering stem [— 7.] | |
| 5a. Pedicels much longer than the inner (shorter) bract | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium mucronatum. |
| 5b. Pedicels equaling or barely exceeding the inner bract [— 6.] | |
| 6a. Capsule brown; common species | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium. |
| 6b. Capsule green or yellowish; rare species | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium montanum. |
| 7a. Leaves folded lengthwise; stems narrowly winged | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium hastile. |
| 7b. Leaves flat; stem broadly winged, 2-3 mm. wide | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium albidum. |
| 8a. Capsules pale straw-color or whitish [— 9.] | |
| 8b. Capsules brown, or tinged with purple [— 10.] | |
| 9a. Plant with straight fibrous bristles at base; pedicels long-exserted | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium farwellii. |
| 9b. Plants not bristly at base; pedicels barely exserted | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium strictum. |
| 10a. Pedicels scarcely exceeding the inner bract [— 6a.] | |
| 10b. Pedicels much exceeding the inner bract [— 11.] | |
| 11a. Stem 2-6 mm. wide; bracts 1.5-2 cm. long | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium gramineum. |
| 11b. Stem 1-2 mm. wide; bracts 1-1.5 cm. long | Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium apiculatum. |
ORCHIDACEAE, the Orchis Family
Herbs, with irregular flowers, one petal, the lip, differing from the others in size and shape, inferior ovary, and one or two stamens adherent to the style.
| 1a. Flowers in a spike-like obviously twisted raceme; small, yellowish or greenish-white, in late summer and autumn (except 4a) (Ladies' Tresses) [— 2.] | |
| 1b. Flowers solitary or in clusters, but never in a twisted raceme [— 5.] | |
| 2a. Flowers in 1 row | Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes gracilis. |
| 2b. Flowers in several rows [— 3.] | |
| 3a. Lip constricted near the apex | Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes romanzoftiana. |
| 3b. Lip not constricted [— 4.] | |
| 4a. Lip yellow; flowers in spring and early summer | Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes lucida. |
| 4b. Lip white | Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes cernua. |
| 5a. Brown, purple, or yellow plants, without green color, with scale-like leaves (1-4 dm. high; summer) (Coral Root) [— 6.] | |
| 5b. Plants with normal green color [— 9.] | |
| 6a. Lip white, not spotted | Coral Root, Corallorrhiza trifida. |
| 6b. Lip white, spotted with red [— 7.] | |
| 7a. Lip distinctly 3-lobed | Coral Root, Corallorrhiza maculata. |
| 7b. Lip entire, or barely toothed [— 8.] | |
| 8a. Flower, exclusive of ovary, 4 mm. long | Coral Root, Corallorrhiza odontorhiza. |
| 8b. Flower about 10 mm. long. | Coral Root, Corallorrhiza striata. |
| 9a. Leaf 1 or none at flowering time [— 10.] | |
| 9b. Leaves a single pair, basal, or opposite on the stem; never alternate on the stem [— 19.] | |
| 9c. Leaves several, all basal, prominently net-veined, and frequently blotched with white (scape 1-4 dm. high; flowers whitish, pubescent, in summer) (Rattlesnake Plantain) [— 26.] | |
| 9d. Leaves 2 or more, on the stem [— 28.] | |
| 10a. Foliage leaf absent or undeveloped at flowering time, or merely persisting through the winter from the previous year [— 11.] | |
| 10b. Foliage leaf present at flowering time [— 12.] | |
| 11a. Flower rose-purple, 3-5 cm. long, solitary or two (1-3 dm. high, early summer) | Arethusa, Arethusa bulbosa. |
| 11b. Flowers purplish-green, in racemes, with a spur 2 cm. long | Crane-fly Orchis, Tipularia discolor. |
| 11c. Flowers yellowish, purple tinged, in racemes; spur none (3-4 dm. high, early summer). | Putty Root, Aplectrum hyemale. |
| 12a. Leaf linear or linear-lanceolate [— 13.] | |
| 12b. Leaf of a broader shape [— 14.] | |
| 13a. Flower solitary or two; leaf just below the flower [— 11a.] | |
| 13b. Flowers in a loose raceme, sometimes only 2; leaf basal | Calopogon, Calopogon pulchellus. |
| 14a. Flowers greenish, yellowish, or white [— 15.] | |
| 14b. Flowers pink to purple, often variegated [— 17.] | |
| 15a. Flowers 6-10 mm. wide, with a spur about the same length (1-4 dm. high, summer) (Rein Orchis) [— 35.] | |
| 15b. Flowers 5 mm. wide or less; spur none (1-2 dm. high; summer) (Adder's Mouth) [— 16.] | |
| 16a. Pedicels less than 5 mm. long; lip broadest below the middle | Adder's Mouth, Microstylis monophyllos. |
| 16b. Pedicels more than 5 mm. long; lip broadest near the apex | Adder's Mouth, Microstylis unifolia. |
| 17a. Flowers spicate; lip distinctly 3-lobed (1-2 dm. high; early summer) [— 24.] | |
| 17b. Flowers solitary or two [— 18.] | |
| 18a. Leaf on the stem, lanceolate to ovate [— 34a.] | |
| 18b. Leaf basal, round-ovate (2 dm. high or less; early summer) | Calypso, Calypso bulbosa. |
| 19a. Leaves opposite and sessile near the middle of the stem (1-3 dm. high; flowers in summer) (Tway-blade) [— 20.] | |
| 19b. Leaves basal [— 21.] | |
| 20a. Lip deeply 2-cleft (flowers purplish) | Tway-blade, Listera cordata. |
| 20b. Lip wedge-shape, with 2 round shallow lobes (flowers greenish-yellow) | Tway-blade, Listera convallarioides. |
| 21a. Lip an inflated sac about 4 cm. long [— 29d.] | |
| 21b. Lip not sac-like [— 22.] | |
| 22a. Flower with a spur 15-50 mm. long [— 23.] | |
| 22b. Flower not spurred (1-2 dm. high; early summer) (Tway-blade) [— 25.] | |
| 23a. Flowers purple or magenta, or with white markings [— 24.] | |
| 23b. Flowers greenish, yellowish, or white (1-4 dm. high; summer) (Rein Orchis) [— 36.] | |
| 24a. Leaf 1 (1-2 dm. high; early summer) | Round-leaved Orchis, Orchis rotundifolia. |
| 24b. Leaves 2 (-20 cm. high; late spring) | Showy Orchis, Orchis spectabilis. |
| 25a. Lip about 10 mm. long, purple | Tway-blade, Liparis liliifolia. |
| 25b. Lip about 5 mm. long, yellowish-green | Tway-blade, Liparis loeselii. |
| 26a. Perianth 8-10 mm. long; lip with elongated point | Rattlesnake Plantain, Epipactis decipiens. |
| 26b. Perianth 4-6 mm. long; lip sack-like [— 27.] | |
| 27a. Raceme loosely flowered, one-sided | Rattlesnake Plantain, Epipactis repens var. ophioides. |
| 27b. Raceme closely flowered, not one-sided | Rattlesnake Plantain, Epipactis pubescens. |
| 28a. Lip conspicuously sack-like, inflated (late spring and early summer) (Lady's Slipper) [— 29.] | |
| 28b. Lip not sack-like nor inflated [— 32.] | |
| 29a. Lip white (1-3 dm. high) | White Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium candidum. |
| 29b. Lip yellow (2-7 dm. high) [— 30.] | |
| 29c. Lip white, with crimson or purple markings [— 31.] | |
| 29d. Lip pink (1-4 dm. high, late spring) | Stemless Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium acaule. |
| 30a. Lip 2-3 cm. long. | Small Yellow Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum. |
| 30b. Lip 3.5-5 cm. long | Large Yellow Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens. |
| 31a. Lip 2 cm. long or less; sepals separate (1.5-3 dm. high) | Ram's Head Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium arietinum. |
| 31b. Lip 3 cm. long or more; the 2 lower sepals united | Showy Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium hirsutum. |
| 32a. Flowers solitary in the axils, or solitary and terminal; not spurred [— 33.] | |
| 32b. Flowers in terminal racemes, spurred [— 38.] | |
| 33a. Leaves a whorl of 5 (2-3 dm. high; petals greenish; late summer) | Whorled Pogonia, Pogonia verticillata. |
| 33b. Leaves alternate [— 34.] | |
| 34a. Leaves lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 2-8 cm. long, narrowed at base; flower terminal (1-4 dm. high; flowers pink purple, early summer) | Snake Mouth, Pogonia ophioglossoides. |
| 34b. Leaves ovate, 1-2 cm. long, clasping; flowers axillary (5-20 cm. high; flowers purple, summer) | Nodding Pogonia, Pogonia trianthophora. |
| 35a. Leaf basal; spur nearly straight | Rein Orchis, Habenaria obtusata. |
| 35b. Leaf on the stem; spur strongly curved | Rein Orchis, Habenaria clavellata. |
| 36a. Flower-stalk without bracts below the raceme; flowers yellowish-green | Rein Orchis, Habenaria hookeri. |
| 36b. Flower-stalk bearing bracts below the raceme; flowers greenish-white [— 37.] | |
| 37a. Spur 15-25 mm. long | Rein Orchis, Habenaria orbiculata. |
| 37b. Spur 30-50 mm. long | Rein Orchis, Habenaria macrophylla. |
| 38a. Lip fringed (Fringed Orchis) [— 43.] | |
| 38b. Lip not fringed (Rein Orchis) [— 39.] | |
| 39a. Lip with 2-3 evident teeth at apex [— 40.] | |
| 39b. Lip without apical teeth [— 41.] | |
| 40a. Stem-leaves 3 or more | Rein Orchis, Habenaria bracteata. |
| 40b. Stem-leaves 2 — 35b. | |
| 41a. Flowers white | Rein Orchis, Habenaria dilatata. |
| 41b. Flowers greenish-yellow [— 42.] | |
| 42a. Lip lanceolate, tapering toward the apex | Rein Orchis, Habenaria hyperborea. |
| 42b. Lip oblong, truncate at the apex | Rein Orchis, Habenaria flava. |
| 43a. Lip deeply 3-lobed, toothed or fringed [— 44.] | |
| 43b. Lip not 3-lobed, but deeply fringed [— 46.] | |
| 44a. Flowers purple | Purple Fringed Orchis, Habenaria psycodes. |
| 44b. Flowers white or nearly so [— 45.] | |
| 45a. Spur 3 cm. long or more | Prairie Fringed Orchis, Habenaria leucophaea. |
| 45b. Spur 1-1.5 cm. long | Ragged Fringed Orchis, Habenaria lacera. |
| 46a. Flowers yellow | Yellow Fringed Orchis, Habenaria ciliaris. |
| 46b. Flowers white | White Fringed Orchis, Habenaria blephariglottis. |
PIPERACEAE, the Pepper Family
Herbaceous plants with alternate leaves, and flowers without either calyx or corolla.
| One species in Michigan, a marsh plant with heart-shape leaves and slender racemes of white flowers | Lizard's Tail, Saururus cernuus. |