Small Whorled Pogonia

“The Rarest Orchid East of the Mississippi” and the Importance of Finding It

Small Whorled Pogonia (Isotria medeoloides)

- Dylan L. Hackett & Scotty Smith

The term “rare plant” always seems an oddity when said out loud. How can any plant be rare when we see a mosaic of green everywhere we look? Well, according to the U.S. Forest Service, 8,500+ species, or one third of our native plants, are considered to be rare in the United States. Unfortunately, humans have had a considerable influence on the growth of our rare plant catalogue. While plants can, and often are, rare in their natural states for a variety of reasons, anthropogenic (human-influenced) factors such as habitat destruction and degradation are a key narrative to these plants’ forgotten histories.

Native plants, especially rare native plants, are of keen interest in the stories we try to tell here at Reflection Riding, as well as those organizations that share our passion, such as the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative (SGI) and the Tennessee Plant Conservation Alliance (TNCAP). These are important stories to tell, as we are currently experiencing our sixth mass extinction event (Holocene Extinction). Without sharing these stories, some species will sadly be lost to history. That’s why, when we were asked to go on a hunt for the elusive (“rarest orchid east of the Mississippi,”) Small Whorled Pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) on a site it had been observed at for over almost three decades, we hit the road with our “botanist in the attic” Zach Irick, and went out searching for the mysterious orchid.

The Small Whorled Pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) is a rare, federally threatened, long-lived, perennial forb in the Orchidaceae (Orchid) family. It is one of the estimated 25,000 - 30,000 individual species of Orchid that occur globally. I. medeoloides is a widely distributed terrestrial orchid, native to temperate regions of eastern North America, with a range extending from lower Maine to Northern Georgia, with some outlying occurences in the Midwestern U.S. region and Ontario. Being a terrestrial orchid, this species acts as most other perennials in the herbaceous layer do, emerging out of the ground year-to-year, while many other orchid species are epiphytes, meaning they grow on the surface(s) of other plants. The Whorled Pogonia orchid will be found in second-growth, mixed hardwood forests communities, around areas of high leaf-litter and above average soil moisture. I. medeoloides is a spring to early summer bloomer, where upon completion of pollination it will set fruit and sit in its vegetative state until it returns to dormancy after the growing season. I. medeoloides can sit in dormancy for up to three consecutive years, mostly likely a result of unfavorable seasonal conditions. Along with hiding underground for unspecified amounts of time, this orchid can be easily mistaken for the not so elusive Indian Cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana), which occurs in similar environments and sports a very similar vegetative stalk and five-whorled leaves.

When hunting for rare plants, a particular trend seems to be ever-present in the area where they may or may not be seen: the natural state of the environment. Rare plants tend to follow the path of least disturbance, and so, are found more often than not, in areas where the impact of humans is either not severely present or has had sufficient time to redevelop. Many of these plants have very complex, intuitive connections with their immediate surroundings and the life around them, tending to be much more sensitive to a disturbance of any kind. During our field work, this theme was readily apparent. Not surprisingly, another rare and federally listed species known as Largeflower Skullcap (Scutellaria montana) was also observed, along with other high quality habitat indicators such as Cumberland Azalea (Rhododendron cumberlandense). This in itself is perhaps what we’re truly searching for, a return to a more natural state, a return to the untouched.

In the end, we found a single orchid in our search! Finding it, however, was only half the battle. The other half is the conservation effort to protect these ecologically sensitive habitats where we find rare plants. In Tennessee — where the search commenced, and ultimately where we found our orchid — the plant's conservation status is currently listed as “critically imperiled.” There have been only three observed and recorded populations in Tennessee, one of which is in Hamilton County. The threat of losing these populations due to the rapidly developing region is, sadly, very likely to occur. However, monitoring efforts and continuous conservation work, both by state and federal entities, conservation groups, and concerned citizens alike are working diligently to keep telling these stories and to help keep finding our “rarest orchids east of the Mississippi”, so that we can try to conserve these special species and their habitats.

*Note - Plant species designated under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 are protected under law on any federal land. Protection of these plants prohibits any activity of “taking,” such as harvesting, importing/exporting, trading, etc. If you are aware of any rare and or endangered plants, contacting your local USFWS office to make potential sightings known should always be your first step. The poaching and harvesting of these plants has been known to occur from geolocation on pictures and phones, as well as plant identification applications. It is always best to talk to experts first about anything regarding these listed species, and never post any pictures without taking the necessary precautions. For more information, please visit the USFWS Endangered Species FAQ site here.

Scutellaria montana