Irish wildflowers BSBI map

Autumn Lady's-tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, Cúilín Muire
Barleycove and Sherkin Island, Co. Cork

Autumn Lady's-tresses
Spiranthes spiralis
Cúilín Muire
Family: Orchidaceae

Flowering time: August-September. Perennial. Native.

Single spiral of scented white flowers with a yellow-green lip. Basal rosettes of oval blue-green leaves grow next to the stem-base but not encircling it. A small, slender, erect plant, the round stem with bract-like scales. Height 7-20cm

Found on dry, nutrient-poor, calcareous soils on grassland, dunes and cliffs. Occasional to locally frequent and often coastal.

Similar: Irish Ladys-tresses, Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Autumn Lady's-tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, Cúilín Muire

Autumn Lady's-tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, Cúilín Muire
Autumn Lady's-tresses, Spiranthes spiralis, Cúilín Muire

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