Piperia is a genus in the Orchidaceae of around fifteen species native to Western North America. They are closely related to Platanthera and some modern authors include the genus in it. However, the Jepson eFlora has not adopted this and continues to list ten California species in this genus. They list differences between the two genera. Piperia has tubers that are more or less round, leaves present or not at flowering that are basal and not in a rosette. The inflorescence is a spike or a raceme. Platanthera has tuber-like rhizomes, alternate cauline leaves, and the inflorescence is generally a spike. According to the Jepson eFlora Piperia flowers are white to green and if there is a fragrance, it is usually at night, and some species are difficult to separate.
See all the Piperia species together, go to the overview page
Piperia | ||||
Piperia candida | Piperia colemanii | Piperia elegans | Piperia elongata | Piperia michaelii |
Piperia transversa | Piperia unalascensis | Piperia yadonii |