Hardy Terrestrial Orchids

JLBG maintains a significant collection of winter hardy orchids, comprising the genera: Bletilla, Calanthe, Calopogon, Cremastra, Cymbidium, Cypripedium, Dendrobium, Epipactis, Goodyera, Habenaria, Liparis, Neottia, Platanthera, Pleione, Spiranthes, Tipularia, and more.

Bletilla is a genus of 5 species of hardy terrestrial orchids native mainly in China and Southeast Asia. We primarily grow 3 species, striata, formosana and ochracea. We also grow a couple of the hybrid grex taxa, x brigantes (striata x ochracea) and x yokohama (striata x formosana)

Calopogon is a genus of 5 or so species which is endemic to Eastern North America. These bog loving orchids are spring bloomers and remain in foliage until fall. We are currently growing Calopogon tuberosus and a hybrid between tuberosus and multiflorus.

Cremastra is a genus of 7 species of terrestrial orchids native to eastern Asia. It is currently represented in our garden by a single species, Cremastra appendiculata. The genus has both leafy and leafless species, acting much like our native Cranefly orchid, as well as like some of the Coralroot Orchids.

Cymbidium is a genus of 86 accepted species of terrestrial, lithophytic to epiphytic orchids native from India to China and south into Australasia. We are currently trialing 4 species and a couple of unknowns, with a number of named cultivars of Cymbidium goeringii.

Calanthe is a genus of 235 species of mostly terrestrial, primarily tropical orchids, even larger if you include the genus Phaius lumped within a broad Calanthe. The center of distribution is Southeast Asia, with a small representation in both South Africa and Central America. The genus Calanthe has the distinguished honor of being the first orchid genus hybridized by the hand of man.

JLBG has trialed 14 of the potentially winter hardy Calanthe species, but so far, only 4 have proven adaptable to our conditions. Many were trialed only once, so need to be trialed again. We also grow five Japanese hybrid strains which have performed very well. These are listed below. Each hybrid group is quite variable in flower, and included below are images of some of our clonally named selections.

'Hizen' (aristulifera x discolor)

‘Kojima' (aristulifera, discolor, sieboldii, tricarinata)

'Kozu Spice' (discolor x izu-insularis)

'Lipstics' (aristulifera, kawakami, sieboldii, tricarinata)

'Takane' (discolor x sieboldii)

Dendrobium is a large genus of Epiphytic orchids numbering more than 1600 species native to Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand. We only grow one winter hardy species in Raleigh, D. moniliforme, a species native to Japan West into the Himalayas.

Epipactis is a genus with 53 species of terrestrial orchids, native across the Northern Hemisphere, with distribution south to Malawi in Africa. While one species within the genus is weedy, Epipactis helleborine, we are growing a couple other species here in the garden.

Goodyera is a genus of Jewel Orchids or Rattlesnake-plantains as they are known here, are woodland orchids with around 100 species. They range across the northern hemisphere and have a few outlying species in Australia and Africa.

Habenaria is a mid-sized genus or aquatic to terrestrial orchids with about 900 accepted species ranging from the Southeastern US into South America, Africa, Australia and the Middle East, through India and Southeast Asia north to Eastern Siberia. The genus used to be much larger encompassing genera like Coeloglossum (now in Dactylorhiza) and Platanthera before being split into a more manageable size. We are currently growing a couple of collections of the native Water-Spider Orchid, Habenaria repens.

Liparis is a cosmopolitan genus with 431 species currently, which are known as Twayblades. We have grown the native Liparis liliifolia in the past, but currently do not have it in the collection.

Neottia is a genus of about 60 species from Northern Eurasia and North America. Formerly listed within the genus Listera, it was split after phylogenetic work was done placed some of them within the mostly mycotrophic genus Neottia. These are also known as twayblades based on their paired leaves. We have grown the southern twayblade, Neottia bifolia.

Platanthera is another segregate from a broad Habenaria, currently with 147 accepted species native throughout the northern Hemisphere, some into Northern Africa and into Macaronesia. The current state of the genus is in flux, with what we have native here in the Southeast occur in all of the 5 subgenera which might eventually be split yet again. We are currently growing a number of these species in our bog gardens.

Pleione is a genus of terrestrial to occasionally epiphytic or lithophytic orchids from Southeast Asia. It consists of about 25 species, and a large number of hybrids and cultivars out on the market. A few species have proven to be hardy here in Raleigh.

Spiranthes is a genus of about 40 species of terrestrial orchids native to the Northern Hemisphere and into Australia. They are known as Ladie’s-tresses from their braided inflorescence style. Some occur in bogs, while others are perfectly happy to pop up in your lawn, like our native species, Spiranthes vernalis. Others move around your bogs with ease, like the newly elevated Spiranthes bightensis ‘Chadd’s Ford’, a remarkable story for ex-situ conservation since the original population is now underneath a housing development.

Tipularia and Aplectrum are terrestrial orchids which have leaves which emerge in late fall and remain evergreen through the winter, flowering without foliage in spring and summer. Aplectrum is a monotypic genus, with Aplectrum hyemale being the only species, native to eastern North America. Tipularia, the Crane-fly orchids have 5 accepted species, with Tipularia discolor being our native species, with the other species occurring in Eastern Asia.

Hardy Terrestrial Orchids Gallery

Aplectrum hyemale

Bletilla 'Brigantes' clump in flower @ JLBG

Bletilla 'Candles in the Wind'

Bletilla 'Lavender Lady'

Bletilla ochracea 'Chinese Butterfly'

Bletilla ochracea 'Oriental Gold'

Bletilla ochracea 'Rickey'

Bletilla ochracea 'Summer Moonshine'

Bletilla striata

Bletilla striata 'Albostriata'

Bletilla striata 'First Kiss'

Bletilla striata 'Gotemba Stripes'

Bletilla striata 'Junpaku'

Bletilla striata 'Kuchibeni'

Bletilla striata 'Murasaki Shikibu'

Bletilla striata 'Ogon'

Bletilla striata 'Shikoku White'

Bletilla striata 'Soryu'

Bletilla striata 'Tri Lips'

Bletilla striata 'White Pearl'

Bletilla 'Ultraviolet'

Bletilla 'Weaver's Pink'

Bletilla 'White Lady'

Bletilla x yokohama 'Kate'

Bletilla x yokohama 'Rainbow Princess'

Bletilla x yokohama 'Snow White'

Bletilla x yokohama 'Supernova'

Bletilla x yokohama 'Sweet Lips'

Calanthe argenteostriata

Calanthe aristulifera

Calanthe brevicornu

Calanthe 'Bronze Beauty'

Calanthe 'Cinnamon Spice'

Calanthe discolor 'Candy Dish'

Calanthe discolor 'Eco White'

Calanthe discolor 'Gold Fairy'

Calanthe discolor 'Snowcrest' in flower

Calanthe 'Fairy Dust'

Calanthe 'Golden Treasure'

Calanthe kawakamiense

Calanthe 'Kojima Flame'

Calanthe 'Kojima Green'

Calanthe 'Kojima Orange'

Calanthe 'Kojima Pink'

Calanthe 'Kojima Red'

Calanthe 'Kojima Violet'

Calanthe 'Kojima White'

Calanthe 'Kojima Yellow'

Calanthe 'Mellow Yellow'

Calanthe 'Orange Blossom Special'

Calanthe 'Rainbow'

Calanthe 'Rainbow Kozu'

Calanthe 'Red Riding Hood'

Calanthe reflexa

Calanthe sieboldii

Calanthe tricarinata

Calanthe 'Yellow Lipstics'

Calopogon 'Fluffy'

Calopogon oklahomensis

Calopogon tuberosa

Calopogon tuberosa 'Alba'

Cremastra appendiculata

Cymbidium goeringii 'Early Riser'

Cymbidium goeringii 'Early Riser' foliage

Cymbidium goeringii 'Xueshanbiancao'

Cypripedium John Haggar'

Cypripedium acaule

Cypripedium 'Aki'

Cypripedium 'Aki Pastel'

Cypripedium andrewsii

Cypripedium 'Anna'

Cypripedium 'Annegret'

Cypripedium 'Axel'

Cypripedium 'Baerbel Schmidt'

Cypripedium 'Barry Phillips'

Cypripedium 'Bernd'

Cypripedium 'Bernd Pastel'

Cypripedium 'Boots'

Cypripedium calceolus

Cypripedium californicum

Cypripedium candidum

Cypripedium 'Chauncey'

Cypripedium 'Christian'

Cypripedium 'Cleo Pinkepank'

Cypripedium columbianum

Cypripedium cordigerum

Cypripedium debile

Cypripedium 'Dietrich'

Cypripedium 'Emil'

Cypripedium 'Eurasia'

Cypripedium farreri

Cypripedium fasciolatum

Cypripedium formosanum

Cypripedium 'Frances'

Cypripedium 'Frosch's Mountain King'

Cypripedium 'Frosch's Queen of the Mist'

Cypripedium 'Gabriella'

Cypripedium 'Gisela'

Cypripedium 'Gisela Pastel'

Cypripedium 'Hank Small'

Cypripedium 'Hans Erni'

Cypripedium 'Henric'

Cypripedium henryi

Cypripedium 'Inge'

Cypripedium 'Ingrid'

Cypripedium 'Ivory'

Cypripedium japonicum

Cypripedium 'Jens'

Cypripedium 'Kathleen Anne Green'

Cypripedium kentuckiense

Cypripedium 'Kristy Lyn'

Cypripedium 'Lady Dorine'

Cypripedium 'Lothar Pinkepank'

Cypripedium 'Lucy Pinkepank'

Cypripedium 'Lukas'

Cypripedium macranthos

Cypripedium margaritaceum

Cypripedium 'Maria'

Cypripedium 'Memoriam Shawna Austin'

Cypripedium 'Memorium Gerd Kohls'

Cypripedium 'Michael'

Cypripedium 'Michael Pastel'

Cypripedium 'Monto'

Cypripedium 'Otto'

Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum

Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens

Cypripedium 'Philipp'

Cypripedium 'Pixi'

Cypripedium 'PKP'

Cypripedium 'Pluto'

Cypripedium 'Rascal'

Cypripedium reginae

Cypripedium reginae 'Alba'

Cypripedium 'Renate Pastel'

Cypripedium 'Robin Lee'

Cypripedium 'Sabine'

Cypripedium 'Sabine Pastel'

Cypripedium 'Schoko'

Cypripedium 'Sebastian'

Cypripedium segawae

Cypripedium 'Siggi'

Cypripedium speciosum

Cypripedium 'Sunny'

Cypripedium 'Tanja Pinkepank'

Cypripedium tibeticum

Cypripedium 'Tilman'

Cypripedium 'Ulla Silkens'

Cypripedium 'Urzel'

Cypripedium 'Victoriae'

Cypripedium x ventricosum

Cypripedium x ventricosum 'Pastel'

Cypripeidum 'Paul'

Dendrobium moniliforme 'Iwa Ya'

Epidendrum conopseum

Goodyera pubescens

Habenaria repens 'Berkeley'

Habenaria repens Wake Co, NC

Liparis liliifolia

Liparis makinoana

Neottia australis

Plantanthera ciliaris

Plantanthera cristata

Plantanthera flava

Platanthera flava

Pleione 'Alishan'

Pleione yunnanensis

Pogonia ophioglossoides

Poneorchis graminifolia

Spiranthes bightensis 'Chadd's Ford'

Spiranthes cernua

Spiranthes cernua 'Tightlips'

Spiranthes magnicamporum

Spiranthes odorata 'Maple Hill'

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes vernalis 'Wake Up'

Tipularia discolor

Tipularia discolor A2AL- 047

Tipularia discolor 'Alabama Elegance'

Tipularia discolor 'Peal's Polkadot'

Tipularia discolor SE15- 002

Tipularia discolor silver with red veins

Tipularia discolor white center

Filter posts by category

Hardy Terrestrial Orchids

Hardy Terrestrial Orchids Gallery

Discover more from Juniper Level Botanic Garden