Dragon’s mouth
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. February 2013.
Scientific name: Arethusa bulbosa L.
Common name(s): dragon’s mouth, swamp pink, arethusa
Links: USDA PLANTS Profile , NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- in flower, late May
Description:
– perennial
-basal leaves
-intricate petal
- lobed labellum
-one flower per stalk
– threatened or endangered in all New England states except ME
Habitat:
-acidic soils
-wetlands
-bogs and fens
-swamps
-meadows and fields
Natural History:
-named after a river nymph from Greek mythology
Sources:
Go Botany. “Arethusa Bulbosa L.” Arethusa Bulbosa (Dragon’s-Mouth): Go Botany, 2020, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/arethusa/bulbosa/.