Milk-White Rein-Orchis
Habenaria Leucostachys, Wats. Orchis Family
Root.—A fusiform tuber. Stems.—One to four feet high; leafy throughout. Leaves.—Lanceolate; diminishing upward. Flowers.—Bright white, in a spike. Perianth segments.—Two or three lines long. Lip.—Four lines long, with a slender spur four to six lines long. Anther.—On the column just above the stigma. Ovary.—One-celled. Hab.—Mountains throughout California.
From July to September we may look for the milk-white rein-orchis in moist meadows. It is especially abundant in the Sierras, where its charmingly fragrant, pure-white spikes are particularly effective against the lush green of the alpine meadows.
MILK-WHITE REIN-ORCHIS—Habenaria leucostachys.