This remarkable species is similar to cernua but differs in its generally more robust habit: up to 10 dm tall (versus 5 dm), leaves with petioles up to 7-10 mm wide (versus 4-6 mm), often extending up to inflorescence (versus mostly basal); flowers 4-18 mm long (versus 6-12 mm) with lip 4-9.5 mm wide (versus 2-7.5 mm). Roots are horizontally spreading (versus spreading to descending), and mostly ca. 3 mm thick (versus up to 10 mm). It is largely restricted to the Coastal Plain, except for disjunct records from the Interior Low Plateaus and lowlands around the Southern Appalachians (FNA 26, K). There is a small persistent population in WOOD (KY; Meijer 1976b). Cranfill's (1980) report from the Blood River seeps in CALL, together with Lycopodiella appressa, remains unverified. See also note under cernua. Although odorata has a reputation for strong (vanilla- or jasmine-like) fragrance, other species of Spiranthes can smell strongly in some cases; no definitive data on this character are available for the whole genus.