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Platanthera psycodes

(L.) Lindl.

Small Purple Fringed Orchid

G5Secure Found in 20 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.158215
Element CodePMORC1Y0M0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderOrchidales
FamilyOrchidaceae
GenusPlatanthera
Synonyms
Habenaria psychodes(L.) Spreng.Habenaria psycodes(L.) Spreng.
Other Common Names
Butterfly Orchid (EN) Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid (EN) lesser purple fringed orchid (EN) Platanthère papillon (FR) Small Purple-fringe Orchis (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 Date2025-07-07
Change Date1984-03-16
Edition Date2025-07-07
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Platanthera psycodes is a perennial forb occurring in bogs, swamp forests, riparian areas, northern hardwood forests, marshes, and disturbed sites of eastern North America, from Manitoba east to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, south to Georgia, west to Tennessee, and north to Minnesota in the United States. There are over 2,000 estimated occurrences of this taxon rangewide, which are threatened by land-use conversion, habitat fragmentation, logging, invasive species, deer herbivory, development, erosion, rights-of-way maintenance, off-road vehicle use, and other threats in some places. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent, high number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, Platanthera psycodes is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Platanthera psycodes occurs in eastern North America, from Manitoba east to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, south to Georgia, west to Tennessee, and north to Minnesota in the United States (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be over 3 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).
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 more than 2,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Platanthera psycodes is somewhat threatened by land-use conversion and habitat fragmentation (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002). Additional threats include logging, invasive species, deer herbivory, development, erosion, rights-of-way maintenance, off-road vehicle use, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand the scope and severity of threats for this taxon (NatureServe 2025).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Platanthera psycodes occurs in bogs, northern hardwood forests, "alluvial and swamp forests, stream banks, riparian meadows, moist and seeping slopes, marshes, roadside banks, ditches, [and] old fields" from 0-2000 m in elevation (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest EdgeOld field
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS1Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
OntarioS4Yes
QuebecS5Yes
New BrunswickS4Yes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
District of ColumbiaSHYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
New JerseyS2Yes
GeorgiaS1Yes
New YorkS4Yes
MaineSNRYes
IllinoisS1Yes
TennesseeS2Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
OhioS2Yes
IndianaS3Yes
IowaS2Yes
DelawareSHYes
MarylandS1Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
MichiganSNRYes
MissouriSXYes
South CarolinaSHYes
KentuckyS1Yes
VermontS4Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
West VirginiaS1Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
Rhode IslandS2Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.2 - Problematic native species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
9 - PollutionUnknownUnknownUnknown
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsUnknownUnknownUnknown
9.3.2 - Soil erosion, sedimentationUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (20)
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Turner CreekChattahoochee National Forest1,495
Minnesota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Brule Lake - Eagle MountainSuperior National Forest12,380
Cabin CreekSuperior National Forest6,071
New Hampshire (2)
AreaForestAcres
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
KilkennyWhite Mountain National Forest28,766
North Carolina (7)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Sam Knob (addition)Pisgah National Forest2,576
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Minister ValleyAllegheny National Forest1,417
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Big Laurel Branch AdditionCherokee National Forest5,577
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Virginia (4)
AreaForestAcres
Little Wilson Creek Addition BJefferson National Forest1,725
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
References (11)
  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. King. M. 2020. Platanthera psycodes Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry, New Jersey Forest Service, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 15 pp. [<a href="https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/platanthera-psycodes-purple-fringed-orchid.pdf">https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/platanthera-psycodes-purple-fringed-orchid.pdf</a>]
  6. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC). 2025. Go Orchids. Online. Available: http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/ (accessed 2025).
  8. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  9. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  10. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  11. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).