Nodding Ladies' TressesPetals: linear-lanceolate to linear, 6-10 mm long and 1-2 mm wide, closely appressed to the dorsal sepal, tips of dorsal sepal and petals reflexed slightly, colored as sepals.
Labellum: obovate to ovate, 6.5-11 mm long and 3-6 mm wide, white to creamy-white colored with the central portion sometimes thickened and slightly yellowish, the apex bent downwards and the central portion somewhat constricted, the base of the labellum with two prominent, incurved, pubescent calli.
HABITAT: Commonly found in moist, sandy, acidic or basic soils. Typical habitats in Wisconsin are moist meadows, lakeshores, and roadside ditches. Spiranthes cernua is an early successional species, and is usually found in areas that have been disturbed. Mowing, if done at the right time, simulates disturbance by removing competing vegetation. S. cernua will often persist for many years in mowed areas, such as roadside ditches.
