| Rattlesnake Plantain | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Genus: | Goodyera |
| Species: | G. pubescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Goodyera pubescens (Willd.) R.Br. |
|
Goodyera pubescens, the Rattlesnake Plantain, is one of the most common orchids native to eastern North America. It is an evergreen terrestrial species with variegated leaves. The variegation is in the form of a densely-reticulated network of veins that are a much lighter green than the rest of the leaf tissue. It is a creeping plant that divides on the ground surface and sends out short stolons. It may be terrestrial or, occasionally, epipetric, growing on rock shelves. It prefers mildly to moderately acidic soils, such as in oak-heath forests.
Full citation: (Willd.) R.Br. in W.T.Aiton, Hortus Kew. 5: 198 (1813).