Calopogon tuberosus

[SkipP]

Common Grass Pink

This somewhat explains the difficulty in ID'ing plants with a common name. The Common Grass Pink is, well, one of the more common of the native orchids:D. The color varies from a pure white form to a deep magenta. Why is a white flower called a "Grass Pink"?

Then, there is the "Pale Grass Pink" or, Calopogon pallidus (I'll post that one another time) which can also vary in color from white to magenta. Another, less common, Calopogon is the "Bearded Grass Pink" or Calopogon barbatus. So, they are all Calopogon and they are all Grass Pink!

Here are three variations of the Common Grass Pink...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3641/3601603192_6c5a2685a5_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3624/3601603542_e586cc2e42_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3605849574_95b6d0f45e_o.jpg

[Will Stuart]

Ahhh, yes. These beautiful native orchids. Per the thread on plant id, it's a long, long road. Field guides help. To second Skip's thought, knowledgable people help even more.

Several years ago I attended a talk by James Alexander Fowler who published a stunning book on the Wild Orchids of South Carolina. If you want to learn about our native orchids, his book is invaluable.

These are superb captures, Skip. The third image in your post is as good as it gets!

[jckegley]

Skip, since the colors vary, do you identify the Grass Pink through the shape and parts of the flower... or is it easy to identify Grass Pink (using Grass Pink in a general sense of the term) without the flower and just the plant parts?

I assume that flowers, when in bloom, are very important to the identification of plants. My guess would be that some plants are so similiar that only the flower can be used to tell the difference between similiar species.