Toothpetal False Reinorchid

Toothpetal False Reinorchid 
(Habenaria floribunda) is an easy-to-miss terrestrial (ground growing) orchid that is fairly widespread throughout Florida. Also known as Mignonette Orchid, this is a true plant of the woodland floor, where it thrives among the leaf litter under hardwoods.  
These Reinorchids form small colonies when left undisturbed, and produce small, delicate, green flowers in winter. The flowers form on stalks that have been reported up to about 30 inches in height. 

This species is said to have a strong scent at night, when it is believed to be pollinated by male mosquitoes. It seems there is some division on whether this scent is pleasant or unattractive, so we invite you to sniff for yourself. 

Toothpetal False Reinorchids are currently in bloom in the Backwoods Forest Preserve, and some are located just off the forest path. If you want to walk over for a closer look, please just be careful of where you step. These orchids appear first as a clump of leaves, low to the ground before they begin to flower. For your convenience, we have a few of these orchids potted and available in the BioWorks Butterfly Garden.

What's in a Name:

This plant was first identified by the English botanist and orchidologist John Lindley (1799-1865) in 1835. His written works include ‘’The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants’’ which took Londley over 10 years to compile.

The genus Habenaria is quite large and widespread, in fact, Habenaria orchids can be found on every contanant with the exception of Antarctica. There are some 800-1000 species of Habenaria orchids found throughout the world.

The genus name Habenaria is derived from the Latin word "habena" or reins. This is used to describe the strap-like appearance of many of the orchids. 

The specific epithet floribunda is derived from the modern Latin, the word "floribundus" which translates to "flowering freely". This modern word uses the old Latin word "abundus" or abundant as its root.