Platanthera nivea

{{Short description|Species of orchid}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Snowy orchid

| image = Platanthera nivea.jpg

| genus = Platanthera

| species = nivea

| authority = (Nuttall) Luer

}}

Platanthera nivea, commonly called the snowy orchid,{{PLANTS|id=PLNI|taxon=Platanthera nivea|accessdate=7 October 2015}} is an orchid species of native to the Southeastern United States. Its range is almost entirely restricted to the southeastern Coastal Plain, with a few notable inland populations such as in Coffee County, Tennessee. Within this range, it is found in wet savannas and bogs.[http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/species/platanthera/nivea/ North American Orchid Conservation Center]

Platanthera nivea has a highly irregular flowering pattern, with whole populations not flowering for a number of years. Populations of this orchid have declined considerably over the 20th century due to habitat destruction.[http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States]