# Slender Ladies' Tresses (*Spiranthes lacera*) Slender Ladies' Tresses are beautiful flowers that grow in spirals. They bloom in late summer and have a lovely white color, making them look like little dancers in the grass. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Slender Ladies' Tresses](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Spiranthes_lacera_%285993938097%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: magnolia1000 from Canada, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spiranthes_lacera_%285993938097%29.jpg) ## Appearance The Slender Ladies' Tresses is a delicate orchid with a tall, slender stem topped by a tight, spiraling column of tiny, creamy-white flowers. Its leaves are typically green and grass-like, staying close to the ground. The unique spiral arrangement makes it stand out. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Liliopsida - **Order:** Asparagales - **Family:** Orchidaceae - **Genus:** Spiranthes ## Interesting facts - "Slender Ladies' Tresses" gets its name because its flowers look like elegantly braided hair! - If you look closely, each tiny flower on the spiral is like a little helmet, protecting its precious pollen! - It's a wild orchid, a tiny cousin to the big, fancy orchids you might see in a flower shop! - Unlike many plants, its seeds are so small they have almost no food inside, needing fungi to sprout! ## Special abilities - **Twisting Tower:** Slender Ladies' Tresses grows its tiny white flowers in a tight spiral up its stem, helping pollinators easily find its blooms. - **Underground Friends:** This orchid forms a special partnership with tiny fungi in the soil, helping it absorb essential nutrients and water. - **Dust Seeds:** It produces incredibly tiny, dust-like seeds that are easily carried by the wind to new places, helping it spread far. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-50 cm - **Spread:** 5-15 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-0.7 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late summer to fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Common Eastern Bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — gathers nectar from blooms - **Pollinates:** [Margined Calligrapher](https://www.snappit.app/explore/margined-calligrapher) (*Toxomerus marginatus*) — visits flowers for nectar ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form. - [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem. - [Grass-Like](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grass-like): Grass-like plants are herbaceous plants that visually resemble true grasses, typically having long, narrow leaves. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Do not pick the flowers; they are best enjoyed in nature! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Slender Ladies' Tresses? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Slender Ladies' Tresses? 10-50 cm ### How wide does Slender Ladies' Tresses spread? 5-15 cm ### How big are the flowers on Slender Ladies' Tresses? 0.5-0.7 cm ### When does Slender Ladies' Tresses bloom? Late summer to fall ### Is Slender Ladies' Tresses edible? No ### Is Slender Ladies' Tresses toxic? None ### What is Slender Ladies' Tresses's lifecycle? Perennial ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Slender Ladies' Tresses: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/slender-ladies-tresses)