The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-07
Wild ORCHIDS NEAR TIE CITY
NATIVE BLOOMS THAT VIE WITH
THE TROPICAL SPECIES
70 BE Found This Iontb In the Highlands
OF the Hudson and other Mountainous
ucgions About New York by Thoso
Who Are Not Afraid OF Rough Climbing.


An orchid TO most people suggests one
~ the gorgeous blooms Of the florists
rindows that came originally from the
forest q OF the Amazon perhaps and grow
here only under such care hat they cost
,he.f weight In gold. But within two or
three hours Of New York. In the woods
and meadows of Rookland. Orange. West
chester and Putnam counties. particularly
IN the more secluded parta of the Sbawan-
vunS and Ramapo mountains n the
highlands OF the Hudson. there may now
h, found native orchids which In delicacy
Of slape and coloring. through not In rank
rorraousness, equal In beauty, II they do
no, s4rpass, the tropical coral prodlgies.
July is the best month OF the year for
the native orchids. There are more species
and the moro beautiful Of the native genera
IN blossom his month than in any other
nari " the summer
Ar orchid lie n strange plant, he it's en-
yironment torrid or temperate, Its pc
charities make it instantly recognizable.
These oddities in the tropical orchids
known 10 the florists, with the vivid color
ings. make startling. bizarre combinations
Of color and form. But tho native orchids.
IN Tl"NL NdStS bNS Niub wv ti-
ported species. and usually shy and rare.
are ot an exquisite daintiness which the
tropical blooms DO NOT share.
In .as vet mountain Sogs. relics OF old
plscial lakes ard flie1 vim u soggy carpet
OF sphagnum moss, IN the narrow wooded
valleys " the Hudson Highlands. the care
nl explorer will find orchid gems this
month. One must not be afraid OF wet
feet 10 the search. On hummocks Of sedge
II the wettest places will perhaps be a rare
species Of tall. purple ~habenaria. or the
low. sweet scented pogonia. or. II n is
lucky. a scape Of ~calopogon. like a flock
O! tiny purple butterflies.
About the quaking Doggy edges OF Cram
berry Pond, a muddy piece OF water half
a nile long and filed with pickerel weed
and water lilies, hidden in the Highlands
back Of Fort Montgomery, the writer,
90 one Of the last days Of June, found the
orchids well represented. In the open
meadows were rose pink Arethusas hob
nobbing with pitcher plants. There will
be one, perhaps two, species OF purple
Habenaria there in two or three weeks.
At the edge of the meadow wa blossom
ing another Habenaria, a green fringed
orchis, with dull colored, but Enthusiastically
shaped flowers. Two other green fringed
orchis blooms and a yellow one OF the same
genus may logically be expected in the
same place before the end OF July.
Calopogon might appear too.
Up on the hillside, west OF the pond
under the blossoming mountain laurel
we're the snowy orchis, which bloomed in
early June, in seed, a few belated purp Q
lady's slippers, aud the yellow lady's slipper
still in it's prime. The White veined leaves
OF still another orchid, the rattlesnake
~plsntain, whose pearly flowers will open
In late July, we're Also under the laurels.
Cn4o.a 1thar nanaro UhiOh Uara nor ayidont
81 the time, may very likely be seen when
their blossoming lime comes.
Only the sonorous Latinized names Of
the tinnean classification have been
given 10 most Of these shy orchids, for
they are known TO so few, and have thus
been SO comparatively unknown since the
first botanical explorers In America found
them that few homely. common names have
ever been attached to them.
But the technical names, translated. are
expressive. Calopogon, for instance. in its
Greek derivation, means beautiful beard
and the deep purple lip OF the blossom is
covered with a thick beard Of yellow. pur-
pie and white hairs.
~Cypripedium, the lady's slipper, or moe
casin flower Of the Indians. reduced to
Greek. il "Venus's buskin, " and the goddess
Of love. were she OF fairy size, could not ask
for a more beautiful slipper than the yellow
cypripedium with it's purple embroidered
Up Tor n toe.
Calypso, a beautiful little purple single
lowered orchid, also with a ~ysricolored
lip, very rare in this latitude, but found
oftener in cold bogs in Labrador, Is another
example Of happy botanical nomenclature.
whether intended or not. In the Odyssey,
the nympb Calypso, daughter OF Atlas and
queen Of NEUROLOGICAL Ogygia. tempted
Ulysses to marry her by the promise OF i'm
mortality. Our bog nymph. Calypso bore
ais, possesses something like the same gift.
for she has maintained her place, very
probably, in some mountain bogs in the
northern United States, during the vast
period since the ice age, though driven FUR:
Their and further north by the warming of
the climate.
The plant isa perennial, coming up from a
round bulb in the moss, n where once
found may be looked for every year In the
zane spot. The writer has been looking
June, in every bog that looked right, but
hasn't found her yet. She has been found,
however. in favorable locations In the
~Adirondacks and the Catskills and might be
hiding in some secluded patch OF bog in the
Hudson Highlands.
after the Nereid OF that name, who, the
myth saws. was turned into a fountain. 1t
10 always wet where BUR Arethusa 10 found
and her feet are never far above the water.
This handsome, large lowered plant, with
ia rngent ~corolla. lined inside with golden
49, nv VI Nu OVo NSo las hbS
Manual Of botany" 70 change from dry
scientific terms for a moment and write
beautiful low herb" which infrequent
praise is we'll deserved.
OF the large genus Habena ria, the stately
and magnificent purple fringed orchid
found in bogs or wet woods, with long
racsmes 81 delicately fragrant, lilac, finely
divided blossoms, half al inch wide. Ia one
~ The finest species. karer m larger put
fewer covered is n. fimbriata, with its
deeply fringed lip ar inch long.
Many tropical orchids known 10 the
Greenhouses ire parasitical. Such a char
a%cteristic il not unknown among native
plants NJ the family.
Most common OF such parasitical orchids
IN this latitude is the coral root, Corallo-
rhza, found in open woods IN the Middle
Mates IL has no leaves, only scales, q
me whole plant is Of a brownish yellow
color, far different from most foliage. Its
coralikr rootstocks are parasitic on the
roots 81 ~neighboring plants.
Another interesting genus is ~Spiranthes,
winch las the common name. in botanical
chlasslications. OF ladies' tr~sses. because OF
me resemblance OF its spiral raoemes to a
bygone style Of feminine hairdressing.
Some ~ its half dozen species begin to
mower IN July. but the largest and prettiest.
me heavily fragrant ~ran Cernua,