Goodyera pubescens - Downy Rattlesnake Plantain

Sizes available: TBD

Basics: zones 5-9, 6-9" x 12-18", dappled sun to part shade, narrow spikes of numerous white flowers over rosettes of patterned, plantain-shaped leaves in late summer, likes an acidic, woodland soil that has good drainage but is moisture retentive. Is somewhat drought tolerant and often found growing in association with moss.

Common names: Downy Rattlesnake Plantain

Family: Orchidaceae

Origin/Distribution: Found in Ontario and east to New Brunswick, as far south as Florida and as far west as Oklahoma and Minnesota. Native to Maine.

Habitat: Occurs in both coniferous and mixed woodlands on well-drained slopes, ravines, and bluffs. 

More: This is one of the most commonly occurring of our native orchids however, it is still a rare plant and not to be harvested in the wild. The plants I offer have been nursery-grown. This is the type of plant you want to site carefully. Just putting it in a shady spot will probably lead to heartache. Make sure you choose a woodland soil with a good amount of leaf mold and organic matter that drains well.  In order to prosper, it will need to set up a happy relationship with the mycorrhizal fungi that live in such soil. I will be doing the same in my garden and we can compare notes. I will only be selling a small amount of this until I learn more about what it needs and how it does. If it does well it will be lovely along the edge of a path or in a shadier rock garden. The roots and leaves have been used medicinally.

Source: Native Wildflowers Nursery

Image credits: botanical illustration from Wikimedia Commons; blooms courtesy of Doug McGrady and the leaves courtesy of Joshua Mayer. Both of these images are via Creative Commons through the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.