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Goodyera pubescens (Willd.) R. Br.

Downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassLiliopsidaMonocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
SubclassLiliidaeIncludes lilies, orchids, and many others
OrderAsparagalesA diverse group that includes asparagus
FamilyOrchidaceaeOrchid family
GenusGoodyeraName for botanist John Goodyer
SpeciespubescensWith soft, downy hair

About plant names...

Downy rattlesnake plantain is native to eastern North America. The name reflects the snakeskin-like network of silvery white lines that make the leaves resemble the scales of a snake. It prefers dry woods and mildly acidic soils. Technically, these are orchids, not plantains.

Plants: 8-16″ (20-40 cm), woolly, evergreen. It spreads via stolons, rootlike runners. It is often nestled in moss.

Leaves: Leaves are basal, rarely more than half an inch above the ground, and oval or narrowly oval, 1¼-2½″ (3.2-6.3 cm). They are dark green, with a broad white central stripe and a distinctive network of white veins.

Flowers: On cylindrical spikes, 2½-4″ (6.3-10 cm) tall. (The entire plant is up to 1′ (40 cm) tall.) Each flower is ¼-⅜″ (6.3-9.5 mm) in size. Flowers appear May-September, mostly in late July.

Online References:

Www.plants.usda.gov

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 378

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/27/2016 · Williams Barn and Sørhaug Woods, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

5/15/1991 · King George, Virginia · By Tim Chandler

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/5/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

6/26/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

6/26/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/5/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

9/14/2023 · Nature Conservancy Access Trail, Sprague Pond, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Peramium pubescens (Willd.) MacMill.

 

Goodyera pubescens description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 28 Sep 2023.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

7/31/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 6″ (9.4 × 14 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

Seed pods in early spring · 4/8/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 14 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/5/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

I was saddened to see that a small patch of these delicate plants, which I have visited many times, was carelessly uprooted by a hiker. · 8/17/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/27/2016 · Williams Barn and Sørhaug Woods, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook C, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/5/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)

Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid, downy rattlesna)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Range:

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