Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Little Ladies'-tresses

Spiranthes tuberosa

Raf.

Little Ladies'-tresses

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.142145
Element CodePMORC2B0Y0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
CITESAppendix II
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderOrchidales
FamilyOrchidaceae
GenusSpiranthes
Other Common Names
little ladies'-tresses (EN) Little Pearl-twist (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 Date2024-07-16
Change Date1984-04-16
Edition Date2024-07-16
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Spiranthes tuberosa is a perennial herb occurring in old fields, roadsides, in open to dry woods, and cemeteries of eastern North America in the United States from Massachusetts west to Kansas, south to Texas, and east to Florida. It is threatened by development, recreation, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and succession. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and over 500 occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Spiranthes tuberosa occurs in eastern North America in the United States from Massachusetts west to Kansas, south to Texas, and east to Florida (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be 2.9 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, NatureServe Network occurrence data, and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, NatureServe Network occurrence data, and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 500 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Spiranthes tuberosa is threatened by development, recreation, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, succession, and other threats in some places (NatureServe 2024). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Spiranthes tuberosa occurs in "dry to open woods, outcrops, old fields, roadsides, [and] cemeteries" (FNA 2002).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedSavannaOld fieldBare rock/talus/screeSuburban/orchard
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
TennesseeSNRYes
South CarolinaS3Yes
MichiganS2Yes
KansasS3Yes
District of ColumbiaS2Yes
TexasSNRYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
OhioSNRYes
New YorkS2Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
MarylandS1Yes
MissouriSNRYes
Rhode IslandS1Yes
PennsylvaniaS1Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
LouisianaSNRYes
IndianaS3Yes
DelawareSHYes
MississippiSNRYes
ConnecticutS1Yes
West VirginiaS1Yes
IllinoisS3Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
FloridaS3Yes
MassachusettsS3Yes
New JerseyS3Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
GeorgiaS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.1.2 - Suppression in fire frequency/intensityUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Hurricane CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest2,279
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee, ed. 2002. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. 723 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  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. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.