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Taxon  Report  
Piperia candida  Rand. Morgan & Ackerman
White flowered rein orchid,   Whiteflower rein orchid
Piperia candida is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~113 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
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Bloom Period
Genus: Piperia
Family: Orchidaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Ultramafic affinity: 1.2 - weak indicator / indifferent

Communities: North Coastal Coniferous Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
iNatPlatanthera ephemerantha
Information about  Piperia candida from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (PICA13)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[inaturalist.nz] Range, Description: Platanthera ephemerantha is a species of orchid known by the common names whiteflower rein orchid, slender white piperia, and white-flowered piperia. It is native to western North America from Alaska to the San Francisco Bay Area, where it grows in coniferous forests and other habitat in coastal and inland mountain ranges within 150 kilometers of the coast. It grows erect to about half a meter in maximum height from a bulbous caudex. The basal leaves are up to 18 centimeters long by 3 wide. Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a spikelike inflorescence of up to 100 small flowers, mostly arranged along one side of the stem. The fragrant, honey-scented flowers are whiter than those of other Platanthera,[1] but sometimes green-tinged or -veined, or green with white margins. The status of this species in the wild is difficult to determine because most populations are small and may produce flowers only rarely.[ (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 12/02/2024).