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Dactylorhiza viridis

frog orchid

Orchidaceae

Circumboreal: Europe, temperate Asia, and northern North America

Attracts Pollinators

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Dactylorhiza viridis, the frog orchid (also placed in Coeloglossum spp.), is a small terrestrial orchid 2-10 inches (5-25 cm) tall growing from finger-like tubers. A basal rosette of 2 to 5 oval to oblong leaves gives way to a slender stem bearing a loose spike of 5 to 40 small flowers from May to August. The flowers are green, often tinged bronze, brown, or reddish, with a hooded helmet of sepals and petals above a strap-shaped lip 0.2-0.4 inch (5-10 mm) long that is forked at the tip into two short lobes with a tiny tooth between, the shape that suggests a frog. It grows in short, unimproved grassland, on chalk downs, dunes, hill pastures, and mountain ledges, usually on base-rich soils, and depends on soil fungi for germination and growth. Like other wild orchids it cannot be dug up and moved successfully and is protected in many areas. Plants may flower erratically and stay dormant underground in some years. Its small size and green colour make it easy to overlook in turf.

Native Range

Dactylorhiza viridis has a wide circumboreal distribution across Europe, temperate Asia, and northern North America, growing in unimproved grassland, dunes, and mountain pasture, mostly on base-rich soils. It ranges from lowland meadows to high mountain slopes.

Suggested Uses

This is a wild orchid of conservation and botanical interest rather than a garden plant. It is seen in nature reserves and traditionally managed grassland, where its green spikes appear in short turf in early summer.

How to Identify

Frog orchid is recognised by its short spike of green to bronze-tinged flowers, each with a hooded helmet above a strap-shaped lip forked into two short lobes at the tip. It stands only 2-10 inches (5-25 cm) tall above a basal rosette of oval leaves. It grows in short, species-rich grassland on lime-rich soils. The green colour and forked lip separate it from the pink-flowered marsh and spotted orchids of the same genus.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2" - 10"

Width/Spread3" - 6"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Spring Summer

Flowering runs from May to August, earlier in lowland grassland and later on mountains. The 5 to 40 green, bronze-flushed flowers open along a short spike and are pollinated by small flies, beetles, and wasps drawn to the lip. Dust-like seed is shed later in summer and germinates only in the presence of suitable soil fungi.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

green tinged bronze to red

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.5 - 8.0(Alkaline)

357912

Soil Types

loam chalk

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

several years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Dactylorhiza viridis grows in full sun to light shade in short, unimproved, base-rich grassland and cannot be cultivated by ordinary means, as it relies on specific soil fungi from germination onward. It is hardy across cool-temperate and montane climates, roughly USDA zones 4 to 8. In the wild it needs thin, low-nutrient turf kept open by grazing or mowing, and it declines where grassland is fertilised or grows over to scrub. Attempts to transplant it almost always fail once the root and fungal links are broken. Its conservation depends on traditional grassland management rather than on garden care. It has no garden pests because it is not grown in gardens.

Pruning

No pruning or routine care applies, as the plant is not cultivated. In its grassland habitat, late summer mowing or grazing after seed is shed keeps the turf short and open for it. Spent flower spikes wither naturally once seed disperses.