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Platanthera chapmanii (Small) Luer
Chapman's Fringed Orchid
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G2G3
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Highest Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 10
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Open, wet meadows; pine flatwoods
Perennial herb with an erect stem 12 - 30 inches (30 - 77 cm) tall, with 1 - 4 stem leaves. Leaves are 6 - 10 inches (15 - 26) long and 0.4 - 1 inches (1 - 3 cm) wide, sheathing the stem and decreasing in size up to the flower cluster. The flower cluster is a dense spike at the top of the stem with 30 - 75 bright orange to dull yellow flowers. Flowers are 0.8 inch (2 cm) long, not including the spur. Lateral sepals are oval and held backward along the side of the flower; one upright sepal overlaps with 2 narrow, fringed petals to form a hood over the center of the flower. The lip petal is oval with a deep, showy, delicate fringe. A slender, cylindric spur 0.3 - 0.7 inch (0.8 - 1.7 cm) long (about the same length as the ovary) extends behind the flower; its mouth is nearly circular.
Chapman’s Fringed Orchid is a species that was created by a natural crossing of Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) and Orange Crested Fringed Orchid (P. cristata); it closely resembles both ancestors but can be distinguished by differences in their spurs. The spur of Orange Fringed Orchid (0.8 - 1.4 inch, 2 - 3.5 cm) is much longer than its ovary. The spur of Orange Crested Orchid (0.2 - 0.8 inch, 0.4 - 1 cm) is clearly shorter than its ovary, and the mouth of the spur is triangular or keyhole-shaped, not circular.
Yellow Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integra, Georgia Special Concern) is rare in Georgia; it occurs in wet savannas and pitcherplant bogs in five Coastal Plain counties. The lower edge of its lip petal is slightly toothed but not fringed (see photo and drawing below). For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.a2hosted.com/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=20256
Ten species of Platanthera are rare in Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/element_lists?group=plant).
Wet savannas, wet pine flatwoods, hillside seeps in the Coastal Plain.
Chapman’s Fringed Orchid is pollinated by large butterflies, primarily swallowtails, whose long tongues are adapted to probing the long, nectar-containing spur of fringed orchids. During the process of probing for nectar, sticky packets of pollen adhere to the front of the insects’ heads and are brushed off onto the stigmas of flowers that are subsequently visited. Flowers must be cross-pollinated for fruit to set. Each fruit contains thousands of dust-like seeds that are wind-dispersed and contain no stored food reserves (endosperm). Seeds must land on a patch of soil containing specific fungi that provide nutrients for germination and subsequent plant growth.
Surveys are best conducted during flowering (late July–September).
Georgia, Florida, and Texas.
Conversion of habitat to pine plantations and agriculture; fire suppression; ditching, draining, and filling wetlands. Digging by feral hogs.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Natural system modifications | Natural system modifications | Agriculture & aquaculture |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Platanthera chapmanii is ranked S1 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is critically imperiled in Georgia. Nine populations have been documented in Georgia, none on conservation land.
Apply prescribed fire every 2 - 3 years during the growing season to savannas, flatwoods, bogs, and seeps. Avoid logging and bedding or other mechanical disturbance of soils and ground vegetation. Avoid draining, ditching, or plowing firebreaks in wetlands. Eradicate feral hogs.
Argue, C.L. 2012. The pollination biology of North American orchids: Volume 1, North of Florida and Mexico, Part II: subfamily Orchidoideae (part one), Chapter 8, Platanthera. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-0592-4.pdf
Brown, P.M. 2004. Understanding Platanthera chapmanii (Orchidaceae), its origins and hybrids. Sida 21(2): 853-859. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41968338.pdf?refreqid=excelsior% 3Aca40ec3c3521433d57fa08145253d495
Brown, P.M. and S.N. Folsom. 2002. Wild orchids of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Brown, P.M. and S.N. Folsom. 2004. Wild orchids of the southeastern United States, north of peninsular Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Catling, P.M. and V.R. Catling 1991. A synopsis of breeding systems and pollination in North American orchids. Lindleyana 6: 187-210.
Chafin, L.G. 2007. Field guide to the rare plants of Georgia. State Botanical Garden of Georgia and University of Georgia Press, Athens.
Drake, J. 2013. Fringed orchids of the southeastern United States: a guide to the genus Platanthera. Breath o’ Spring, Inc. P.O. Box 2957, Suwanee, Georgia 30024.
GADNR. 2020. Element occurrence records for Platanthera chapmanii. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.
Folsom, J.P. 1995. The real identity of Platanthera chapmanii. North American Native Orchid Journal 1(3): 211-238.
Luer, C.A. 1972. The native orchids of Florida. New York Botanical Garden, New York
Luer, C.A. 1975. The native orchids of the United States and Canada, excluding Florida. New York Botanical Garden, New York.
McKeever, S. 2001. Some native orchids of the southeastern United States. Tipularia 16: 22-31.
NatureServe. 2019. Platanthera chapmanii comprehensive report. NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName= Platanthera+chapmanii
Poff, K.E. 2011. Platanthera chapmanii: culture, population augmentation, and mycorrhizal associations. M.S. Thesis, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2346/82241/POFF-THESIS-2016.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Sheviak, C.J. 2003. Platanthera chapmanii species account. Flora of North America, Vol. 26. Oxford University Press, New York. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101828
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Linda G. Chafin
L. Chafin, Jul. 2008: original account
K. Owers, Feb. 2010: added pictures
L. Chafin, Mar. 2020: updated original account
