Habenaria repens, commonly called the water-spider bog orchid or the floating orchid, is an orchid species widespread across Latin America from Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina, as well as in the Southeastern United States from Texas and Oklahoma east to Florida and the Carolinas plus an isolated population in Virginia.
A phenolic compound called habenariol can be found in H. repens. It acts as a feeding deterrent.
Varieties
Two taxonomic varieties are accepted as of June 2014:
Habenaria repens var. maxillaris (Lindl.) Garay - Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Habenaria repens var. repens - most of species range including those regions listed for var. maxillaris
