Intro: Erect perennial, sometimes growing on other plants, of moist forests and floodplains.

Stems: Stems stout, angled to almost winged, bright green, smooth.

Leaves: Leaves in a pair at base of stem, oval with a blunt tip, to 7 in. long, with a prominent center fold, lightly fleshy, glossy and smooth.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers 5-30 on slender purple stalks in a terminal raceme, opening from the bottom up; each flower about 1 in. wide, bilaterally symmetric, consisting of 3 spreading, greenish-white, linear sepals (about ½ in. long), 2 drooping, purple, needle-thin (about ½ in. long) lateral petals, and a protruding, light-purple, triangular-oval lip-petal at the bottom.

Fruits: Fruit an elliptic capsule.

Comments:

Height: to 1 ft.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Erect perennial, sometimes growing on other plants, of moist forests and floodplains.

stems: Stems stout, angled to almost winged, bright green, smooth.

leaves: Leaves in a pair at base of stem, oval with a blunt tip, to 7 in. long, with a prominent center fold, lightly fleshy, glossy and smooth.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers 5-30 on slender purple stalks in a terminal raceme, opening from the bottom up; each flower about 1 in. wide, bilaterally symmetric, consisting of 3 spreading, greenish-white, linear sepals (about ½ in. long), 2 drooping, purple, needle-thin (about ½ in. long) lateral petals, and a protruding, light-purple, triangular-oval lip-petal at the bottom.

fruits: Fruit an elliptic capsule.

comments:

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: eastern North America