2. STATE: Orchis rotundifolia is currently listed by 

 the Montana Natural Heritage Program (Shelly 1988) 

 as "imperiled in the state" (state rank = S2) . It 

 was listed as "threatened" (likely to become an 

 endangered species within the foreseeable future 

 throughout all or a significant portion of its 

 range in Montana) by the Montana Rare Plant 

 Project (Lesica et al. 1984) . 



These state ranks do not currently provide any 

 direct legal protection for O. rotundifolia . 

 Through its inclusion on the Region 1 sensitive 

 plant list, the species has legal protection under 

 U.S. Forest Service agency policies (W. Ruediger, 

 pers. comm. ) . 



C. DESCRIPTION 



1. GENERAL NONTECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Orchis 

 rotundifolia is a small, perennial herb with stems 

 which are mostly about 4-8 inches tall. These 

 stems are unbranched, and have a single rounded 

 leaf near their base which often lies flat on the 

 ground. The upper portions of the stems bear 

 about 2 to 8 or more flowers. These are white to 

 pink in color, and have a lower petal (lip) which 

 is white with magenta-purplish spots. The flowers 

 range from about ^ to 1 inch across. In Montana, 

 the plants are generally in flower from early June 

 to mid-July. Fruiting occurs from mid June to 

 late July or early August. See Section V, p. 54, 

 for color photos of plants and habitat. 



2. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Terrestrial herb, 

 glabrous, rhizomatous-stoloniferous, mostly 10-20 

 (30) cm. tall, scapose, the base of the stem with 

 1-3 sheathing bracts and a single sessile to 

 short-petiolate leaf with a broadly elliptic to 

 suborbicular blade 3-9 cm. long; inflorescence a 

 loose to crowded raceme mostly 2- to 8 (15)- 



f lowered, the flowers generally rather crowded, 

 subtended by greenish or purplish, lanceolate 

 bracts about as long the ovary; sepals (3) 5- 

 nerved, whitish to light pink, the upper one 

 ovate, rounded, 6-10 mm. long, erect and with the 

 slightly connivent petals forming a hood over the 

 column; lower sepals spreading, narrower and 

 slightly longer than the upper one, somewhat 

 oblique; petals pink, slightly shorter than the 

 sepals, usually 3-nerved; lip white to pinkish, 

 magenta-purplish spotted (or rarely streaked) , 6-9 

 mm. long, oblong in outline, usually prominently 

 lobed on either side about midlength, then 

 considerably narrowed before flaring to a broad. 



