Triphora trianthophoros (Swartz) Rydberg var. trianthophoros . Common name: Three Birds Orchid, Nodding Pogonia, Nodding Ettercap. Phenology: Jul-Sep; Sep-Nov. Habitat: Humid forests and swamps, rhododendron thickets, especially on rotten logs or on humus, in the mountains often under hemlock. Distribution: The species is widespread (but scattered) in e. North America, and south into Central America. Var. trianthophoros occurs from ME and ON west to WI, south to c. peninsular FL and e. TX; disjunct in nc. Mexico; var. mexicana (S. Watson) P.M. Brown occurs from Mexico south to Central America.

ID notes: The flowers are extremely ephemeral, making the species very difficult to locate.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: Var. mexicana (S. Watson) P.M. Brown is distributed from Mexico south to n. Central America. Var. texensis P.M. Brown & R.B. Pike was named in 2006 (Brown & Pike 2006) and needs additional evaluation before being accepted. The correct spelling of the epithet of this species is "trianthophoros."

Synonymy ⓘ: = NY; Arethusa trianthophoros Sw. = Triphora trianthophora (Sw.) Rydb. ssp. trianthophora — Ar, FNA26, orthographic variant; = Triphora trianthophoros (Sw.) Rydb. ssp. trianthophoros — Can, POWO; < Arethusa trianthophoros Sw.; < Triphora trianthophora (Sw.) Rydb. — C, ETx1, F, G, GW1, Il, Mi, Mo1, NS, Pa, RAB, S, S13, Tat, Tn, W, WV, Correll (1950), Luer (1975); < Triphora trianthophora (Sw.) Rydb. ssp. trianthophora — NE, Va, orthographic variant; > Triphora trianthophora (Sw.) Rydb. var. schaffneri Camp — Tx; > Triphora trianthophora (Sw.) Rydb. var. texensis — NSProv, Brown & Pike (2006); < Triphora trianthophora (Sw.) Rydb. var. trianthophora — Pa, orthographic variant; > Triphora trianthophora (Sw.) Rydb. var. trianthophora — NSProv, Tx, Brown & Pike (2006), orthographic variant; < Triphora trianthophoros (Sw.) Rydb. — K4, WH3. Basionym: Arethusa trianthophoros Sw. 1800

Links to other floras: = Triphora trianthophora ssp. trianthophora - FNA26

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU (name change)
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: UPL (name change)
• Great Plains: FACU (name change)
• Midwest: FACU (name change)
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACU (name change)

Heliophily ⓘ: 2