CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Science & Nature

Platanthera flava

species of plant

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 27, 2026
Entity authorityQ7202172 ↗
Source-derived summary

Platanthera flava, the southern rein orchid or palegreen orchid, is a species of terrestrial orchid native to eastern North America, from Texas east to Florida, north to Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Platanthera flava has from 10 to 40 flowers in an inflorescence. In the north of its range, in Canada, this species is particularly associated with shorelines of lakes and rivers, in the seasonally flooded zone. In Nova Scotia, it occurs in wet meadows on seasonally flooded shorelines with rare shoreline species such as Sabatia kennedyana. In the south, such as in Texas, it is found in wet savannas and flatwoods. The shoreline habitats of the north are maintained by ice scour, while in the south, the flatwoods are maintained by recurring fire. Hence, it appears that this species depends upon recurring natural disturbance to maintain open sunny conditions.

Varieties

Two varieties are recognized:

Platanthera flava var. flava – southern part of species range

Platanthera flava var.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Platanthera flava” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Platanthera, flava and species.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current 158-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Platanthera, flava and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Platanthera flava”, the useful work is to connect “species of plant” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7202172. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Platanthera flava”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Platanthera flava primary sources, Platanthera flava archive and Platanthera research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Platanthera flava”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Platanthera flava” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.