There are about 25,000 species of orchids world-wide.
We think of them as tropical plants, and with regard to species numbers, this is true. But I’ve been in the tropics, and I’ve been in the north, and I can tell you that the largest concentrations of orchids I’ve ever seen (thousand of plants) were in the bogs and barrens of Newfoundland. Though the number of species there was very low — about 30 of them — as compared with the 1,500 species in Costa Rica.
New Jersey falls in between — 57 species of orchids have been recorded from the state. Eight of these have been extirpated, and another 13 are very rare (and some might be gone) but that still leaves 36 species that a very hard-working and sharp-eyed botanical explorer might find. There should be at least 13 species in Gloucester County and I’ve seen seven of them here: pink lady’s-slipper, showy orchid, rattlesnake plantain, cranefly orchid, nodding lady’s tresses, puttyroot, and rose pogonia.
But in addition to those, southern twayblade, lily-leaved twayblade, calopogon, ragged fringed orchid and helleborine are certainly here someplace. And white fringed orchid is locally common in the pine barrens of Burlington and Atlantic Counties, and should be in Gloucester — maybe in Winslow WMA, which has the right habitat.
http://www.nj.com/gloucester/voices/index.ssf/2012/06/gloucester_county_nature_orchi.html
We think of them as tropical plants, and with regard to species numbers, this is true. But I’ve been in the tropics, and I’ve been in the north, and I can tell you that the largest concentrations of orchids I’ve ever seen (thousand of plants) were in the bogs and barrens of Newfoundland. Though the number of species there was very low — about 30 of them — as compared with the 1,500 species in Costa Rica.
New Jersey falls in between — 57 species of orchids have been recorded from the state. Eight of these have been extirpated, and another 13 are very rare (and some might be gone) but that still leaves 36 species that a very hard-working and sharp-eyed botanical explorer might find. There should be at least 13 species in Gloucester County and I’ve seen seven of them here: pink lady’s-slipper, showy orchid, rattlesnake plantain, cranefly orchid, nodding lady’s tresses, puttyroot, and rose pogonia.
But in addition to those, southern twayblade, lily-leaved twayblade, calopogon, ragged fringed orchid and helleborine are certainly here someplace. And white fringed orchid is locally common in the pine barrens of Burlington and Atlantic Counties, and should be in Gloucester — maybe in Winslow WMA, which has the right habitat.
http://www.nj.com/gloucester/voices/index.ssf/2012/06/gloucester_county_nature_orchi.html