Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Platanthera purpurascens [Platanthera tescamnis] [Habenaria neomexicana] [Limnorchis purpurascens] [Platanthera hyberborea var. purpurascens] [Platanthera stricta] [Platanthera saccata]
Family
Orchidaceae
CommonName
purple-petal bog orchid
Presence
YES
Status
native
EarliestDate
1985
LatestDate
2014
Ecosystem
montane
Geobotanical
SSanjuans
Counties
Conejos, Mineral, Rio Grande, Archuleta
Passes
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
Comments
There are only four vouchers of Platanthera purpurascens from the Watershed, all from the south San Juans: near La Manga Pass and Lily Lake in Conejos Co (1985, 1987), near Hogback Mesa in Rio Grande Co (2003), and 14 miles SW of Platoro in Archuleta Co (2014). Ackerfield (2022) says P. purpurascens is the correct name for plants that traditionally have been called P. stricta or P. saccata. If so, then we can add a number of additional vouchers from Rio Grande, Costilla, Mineral, and Saguache counties, including locations in the Cristos. The 2019 photorecord from Tucker Ponds in Mineral Co would add a fifth location in the south San Juans and Mineral to counties indicated in Ackerfield (2022). This bog-orchid is usually found in mesic shade of mixed conifer forests, near seeps and creeks. The USA distribution is restricted to Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, where it is present in the Rio Grande drainage only as far as Santa Fe Co. Note that BONAP treats this taxon as P. tescamnis.