Water Spider Orchid
Ease to Grow: Easy
Dormancy: Recommended
Native Range: Peat Bogs of Southeastern North America
Zones: 8-10 (7-11)
The Water Spider Orchid, Habenaria repens, has a spire of small green flowers that resemble spiders. It is common in peat wetlands, growing as a semi aquatic, in and out of the water's edge. It is often overlooked because the green flowers blend in well with the long green lance shaped leaves. Each flower cluster contains 6-20+ small (3/4") blossoms that have finely divided lips that spread out, looking remarkably like small green spiders. It flowers late Summer through Fall and emits a strong evening fragrance. It can be a robust, and vigorous grower self dividing from runners along the stems, especially when wet. It often grows with Pickerel Weed. Seeds are very fine and can be a challenge to germinate. It is a warm temperate plant and does not tolerate a frost well. In the home or greenhouse it will grow throughout the year. Water with rain/distilled water, they are sensitive to mineral buildup. It spreads nicely and grows well among pitcher plants.
Our plants are not collected from the wild, and are propagated from stolon divisions of plants in our collection.
Spider Orchid size refers to age of plants. Small (1 year), medium (2-3 years), large (4+ years).
Plants are shipped bare-root, wrapped in damp sphagnum moss. In it's dormant season, it will be shipped as a dormant root/rhizome. Photographs are representative of the species, and not the specific plant shipped.
Height: 8" - 16"
Plant Type: Perennial, warm temperate
Soil: Lower Bog Mix or Long-fiber Sphagnum
Soil pH: 4.5-6
Light: Full to Partial Sun
Use: Grows best outdoors in the bog garden or pots.
