Calopogon tuberosus

(L.) B.S.P.

Tuberous Grass-pink

G5Secure Found in 21 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.130848
Element CodePMORC0C040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderOrchidales
FamilyOrchidaceae
GenusCalopogon
Synonyms
Calopogon pulchellusR. Br. ex Ait. f.
Other Common Names
Calopogon tubéreux (FR) tuberous grasspink (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-07-02
Change Date1990-09-18
Edition Date2025-07-02
Edition AuthorsOgle, Y. (1987), rev. N. Ventrella (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Calopogon tuberosus is an orchid occurring in grasslands, savannas, meadows, fens, bogs, and interdune swales on acidic and alkaline soils of eastern North America, from Newfoundland and Manitoba, Canada, south to Florida, and Texas in the United States, as well as Cuba and the Bahamas. There are over 1,000 estimated occurrences of this species, which are threatened by succession, invasive species, deer browse, livestock grazing, off-road vehicles, logging, peat mining, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion (in some coastal regions), herbicides, collection from the wild for horticultural purposes, and other threats in some places. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and high number of occurrences Calopogon tuberosus is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Calopogon tuberosus occurs in eastern North America, from Newfoundland and Manitoba, Canada, south to Florida and Texas in the United States, as well as Cuba and the Bahamas (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be over 7 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025). See individual entries for distribution details about the two varieties.
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 1,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Calopogon tuberosus is primarily threatened by succession and overshading of habitat by woody species, with additional threats from invasive species, deer browse, livestock grazing, off-road vehicles, logging, peat mining, sea level rise and salt water intrusion (in some coastal regions), herbicides, collection from the wild for horticultural purposes, and other threats in some places (NatureServe 2025).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Calopogon tuberosus occurs in full sun in moist grasslands, savannas, and meadows (NAOCC 2025). Calopogon tuberosus var. tuberous occurs on "acidic soils in fens, bogs, pine and oak savannas, grasslands, interdune swales" from 0-1200 m in elevation, while C. t. var. simpsonii is found in "seasonally wet, alkaline tropical and subtropical conifer savannas, meadows, and grasslands" from 0-10 m in elevation (FNA 2002).
Terrestrial Habitats
SavannaGrassland/herbaceous
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
District of ColumbiaSXYes
KentuckySNRYes
IllinoisS2Yes
DelawareS1Yes
VirginiaS1Yes
FloridaSNRYes
ArkansasS1Yes
MaineSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
IndianaS3Yes
OklahomaS1Yes
New YorkS4Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
IowaSXYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
Rhode IslandS2Yes
New JerseySNRYes
West VirginiaS3Yes
OhioS2Yes
MissouriS2Yes
MississippiSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
KansasSNRYes
MarylandS1Yes
GeorgiaS3Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
VermontS3Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS4Yes
OntarioS4Yes
Prince Edward IslandS3Yes
ManitobaS2Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
QuebecSNRYes
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (21)
Florida (3)
AreaForestAcres
Gum BayApalachicola National Forest11,645
Long BayApalachicola National Forest5,726
SavannahApalachicola National Forest1,927
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Cunningham Brake Research Natural AreaKisatchie National Forest1,797
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
South Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Hellhole ExtFrancis Marion National Forest891
Wambaw ExtFrancis Marion National Forest527
Vermont (3)
AreaForestAcres
Devil's Den 09083Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests9,169
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Woodford 09086Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests2,456
West Virginia (8)
AreaForestAcres
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Marlin MountainMonongahela National Forest9,344
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Spice RunMonongahela National Forest6,251
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
Turkey MountainMonongahela National Forest6,421
Wisconsin (2)
AreaForestAcres
09011 - Flynn Lake Study AreaChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest5,951
09012 - Round Lake Study AreaChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest3,707
References (8)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC). 2025. Go Orchids. Online. Available: http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/ (accessed 2025).
  7. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).