Taxon Report

Piperia leptopetala Rydb.

narrow-petaled rein orchid

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Piperia leptopetala, commonly known as narrow-petaled rein orchid, is a perennial herb in the Orchidaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 380 to 2225 meters. Piperia leptopetala is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Piperia leptopetala Rydb.
Common Name:	narrow-petaled rein orchid
Family:	Orchidaceae
Element Code:	PMORC1X100
USDA Plants Symbol:	PILE3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	380-2225 (1245-7300)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Colusa (COL), Lake (LAK), Orange (ORA), Placer (PLA), Plumas (PLU), San Bernardino (SBD), San Diego (SDG), San Luis Obispo (SLO), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Barrett Lake (3211666), Bunker Hill (3912014), Cazadero (3812351), Colfax (3912018), Cypress Mountain (3512058), Fort Ross (3812352), Harrison Mtn. (3411722), Jericho Valley (3812274), Mesa Grande (3311627), Quincy (3912088), Salt Canyon (3912213), Santa Ysabel (3311616), Santiago Peak (3311765), Viejas Mountain (3211676), Warm Springs Dam (3812361), Yucaipa (3411711)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Threatened b vegetation/fuels management. See Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 28:270 (1901) for original description, and The Wild Orchids of California, p. 124-125 (1995) by R. Coleman for species account.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 January 2025].