Ladies Tresses is in a perennial herb in the orchid family that grows from a thick tuberous root system. The genus is found in the Americas, Europe and Australia in fields, damp meadows, moist thickets, and grassy swamps. Flowers come in a variety of colors and spirals up a terminal spike. Plant in full sun to partial shade in acidic wet clay, sand or loam soils. It will spread by rhizomes in good conditions. Use along ponds, streams, bogs and in water gardens.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
8-10 inch long basal grass-like leaves
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower form
Spike
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers are arranged in a loose or dense spiral around a 6-inch terminal spike. They are orchid-like with 6 petals and 1/2 inch across. They come in multiple colors. Blooms July through Nov.
Bloom time
Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eurasia to SW. Pacific, N. Africa, N. & Central America
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV Canada: NB , NS , ON , PE