Sunday, May 9, 2010

Purple Twayblade

As I was sampling my property last fall, I came across leaves and fruiting stalks of Purple Twayblade (Liparis liliifolia). Today, I was able to find some of the plants in bloom.


Liparis liliifolia grows in mesic forests, savannas, pine woods, and abandoned fields throughout much of eastern North America. It requires some type of disturbance such as fire or windthrown trees, as too much shade can be detrimental to populations of this species.

6 comments:

Keith Board said...

I enjoy any flower with a mauve diaphanous labellum!

Florida Nature Photography said...

I'd love to see this one in its natural environment... So far I've seen both af the far southern varieties of Liparis... this one looks very much like Liparis elata, but the habitat is quite different. Great photo!

Scott Namestnik said...

Thanks Rich. I've only seen L. liliifolia and L. loeselii... would like to see the others at some point.

Allison Vaughn said...

I never catch Liparis in bloom. In the Ozarks, they're a north facing slope, fire mediated plant--those cool mesic conditions we have so little of in this neck of the woods. L. loeselii is really rare here...never seen it even after looking for it from Heritage records.

Scott Namestnik said...

Hi Allison. I usually miss Liparis liliifolia in bloom as well... I made a point to find it on our property this year. We find L. loeselii in marshy conditions.

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