Arethusa
(pronounced: ayr-ah-THEW-zah)
Classification
Arethuseae subtribe Arethusinae
Overview
Terrestrials arising from small corms. Leaves basal, solitary, lanceolate. Inflorescences terminal, erect, one-flowered. Flowers erect, cupped, showy. Sepals and petals free, subsimilar. Lip unlobed, with a central beard of trichomes. Column broadly winged and hooded, without a foot; pollinia 4, in two pairs.
Etymology
From the Greek Arethusa, a fountain-nymph, possibly in allusion to the wet habitat.
Distribution
A monotypic genus native to northeastern North America.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow plants of Arethusa in small pots or bulb pans of living sphagnum moss. Provide cool-intermediate to cool temperatures, full light levels, and regular watering throughout the year. The roots of Arethusa should never be fully dried out. Overwinter the plants in an alpine greenhouse, a cold frame, or by plunging the pots into a garden bed.
Literature
Thien, L. B. and B. G. Marcks 1972. The floral biology of Arethusa bulbosa, Calopogon tuberosus and Pogonia ophioglossoides (Orchidaceae). Canad. J. Bot. 23:19-25.
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