The Chapman’s Fringed Orchid (Platanthera chapmanii) is the least widespread of the four yellow to orange fringed orchids, found only in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Some say it is actually a hybrid of the Crested Yellow Orchid (P. cristata) and Yellow Fringed Orchid (P. ciliaris). The spurs on the fringed flowers are about the same length as the floral tube which separates this species from the other fringed orchids. In late summer to early fall, its tall spire of hooded orange flowers can be easily seen in wet flatwoods and roadside ditches. The common name honors Alvan Wentworth Chapman (1809-1899), a pioneering botanist who lived most of his life in Apalachicola, Florida. The genus Platanthera describes its flat anthers.
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