ladies’ tresses

ladies’ tresses, (genus Spiranthes), genus of about 45 species of terrestrial orchids (family Orchidaceae), found in woods and grasslands throughout most of the world. Ladies’ tresses have a fleshy root system, and most species have narrow basal leaves. Species of Spiranthes vary greatly in size and flower colour, but all have a characteristic spiral of small flowers borne at the top of a spike. The flowers feature six tepals (undifferentiated petals and sepals), which can be free or fused together to form a hood over the central labellum (lip).

Some species bloom in autumn, such as nodding ladies’ tresses, or autumn tresses (S. cernua), in North America and autumn ladies’ tresses (S. spiralis) in Europe. Slender ladies’ tresses (S. lacera) of North America has a single spiral of small white flowers.

Creeping ladies’ tresses (Goodyera repens) is an unrelated British species.