Listera convallarioides
Encyclopedia
Listera convallarioides is a species of orchid
known by the common names broad-lipped twayblade and broad-leaved twayblade. It is native to much of North America from Alaska
to eastern Canada
and south to higher elevation habitat in California
and Arizona
, the Great Lakes
, and New England
. It is a plant of cool, moist, dim habitat, such as woods and forest, as well as swamp
s and streambanks. It is a rhizomatous
perennial herb growing erect 10 to 35 centimeters tall. It has one pair of green oval leaves each up to 7 centimeters long near the base of the stem. The inflorescence
is a small raceme
of green or yellow-green flowers, sometimes slightly purple-tinged. Each has usually 3 reflexed lance-shaped sepal
s, 2 similar petals, and one petal known as the lip, which is longer, wedge-shaped, and notched at the tip. The plant sometimes forms large colonies, creating a groundcover
. It is known to hybridize with Listera auriculata.
Epidendroideae
In plant systematics Epidendroideae is a subfamily of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most Epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes, typically with pseudobulbs...
known by the common names broad-lipped twayblade and broad-leaved twayblade. It is native to much of North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and south to higher elevation habitat in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. It is a plant of cool, moist, dim habitat, such as woods and forest, as well as swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and streambanks. It is a rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb growing erect 10 to 35 centimeters tall. It has one pair of green oval leaves each up to 7 centimeters long near the base of the stem. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a small raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of green or yellow-green flowers, sometimes slightly purple-tinged. Each has usually 3 reflexed lance-shaped sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s, 2 similar petals, and one petal known as the lip, which is longer, wedge-shaped, and notched at the tip. The plant sometimes forms large colonies, creating a groundcover
Groundcover
Groundcover refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground, used to provide protection from erosion and drought, and to improve its aesthetic appearance .- Ecosystem :...
. It is known to hybridize with Listera auriculata.