Blunt Bog Orchid vs Club-Spur Orchid

Platanthera obtusata compared with Platanthera clavellata

Key Differences

• Blunt Bog Orchid is Endangered while Club-Spur Orchid is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blunt Bog Orchid	Club-Spur Orchid
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order same	Asparagales (Asparagales)	Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family same	Orchidaceae	Orchidaceae
Genus same	Platanthera	Platanthera
Species	Platanthera obtusata	Platanthera clavellata

Evolutionary Relationship

Blunt Bog Orchid and Club-Spur Orchid share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Platanthera.

Conservation Status

Blunt Bog Orchid

EN — Endangered

Club-Spur Orchid

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blunt Bog Orchid	Club-Spur Orchid
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blunt Bog Orchid

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Finland, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Club-Spur Orchid

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Canada, France, Sweden, and United States.

Blunt Bog Orchid

The Blunt Bog Orchid (Platanthera obtusata) is a species in the genus Platanthera. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Club-Spur Orchid

Platanthera clavellata, the small green wood orchid or club-spur orchid, is a terrestrial orchid in the family Orchidaceae native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland and Manitoba south to Florida and Texas. The species grows in a variety of moist to wet habitats including bogs, fens, wet meadows, seeps, swamps, and moist deciduous or coniferous forests. It typically produces a single large basal leaf and a slender flowering stem bearing small, greenish-white or pale yellow flowers arranged in a loose spike. Like other Platanthera orchids, it is pollinated by night-flying moths attracted to its faint fragrance. The club-shaped spur of the flower, which contains nectar, gives the species its common name. P. clavellata is not currently assessed by the IUCN (Not Evaluated), but is considered secure across much of its range in Canada and the eastern United States, though local populations may be threatened by wetland drainage, habitat conversion, and browsing by deer. The species depends on symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi in the soil for germination and early growth, as is typical for terrestrial orchids.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States