Goodyera repens, a small forest orchid in the genus Goodyera. It is known by the common name creeping lady's-tresses in Anglophone Europe[3] and dwarf rattlesnake plantain or lesser rattlesnake plantain in North America.
G. repens is a small, perennial orchid that emerges from short, shallow-rooted rhizomes.[4]
The evergreen basal leaves are oval to egg-shaped, with a blunt point at the tip. They are 0.5-1.25 inches long, with dark and pale green to white reticulation. Scale-like leaves are arranged alternately on the pubescent stem.[5]
The inflorescence is a spike reaching 4-8 inches tall, with 7-36 small white or pale-green flowers arranged closely on one side of the raceme.[4] The individual flowers have a concave, pouch-like labellum, and a curved hood-like petal over the column formed by the dorsal sepal and petals. Like other Goodyera species, the stem and sepals are covered in thin hairs.[6] The flowers develop sequentially, with flowers on the bottom of the spike maturing first.[7]
The fruit is a capsule, about 1 cm long, containing numerous tiny seeds (0.003 milligrams in weight) that are wind-dispersed.[4][7] Each seed consists of an undifferentiated embryo surrounded by a transparent seed coat.[8]
The period of flowering ranges from early-July to mid-September, depending on the latitude.[5][4]
Distribution and Habitat
G. repens is widely distributed at northern latitudes, with native populations found in Europe, Asia, and North America.[9] It is associated with undisturbed, old-growth conifer and mixed forests.[4]
In North America, the species has a transcontinental range across Canada, with several discontinuous populations in the United States. The northern extent of its range occurs in Alaska, Yukon, and Newfoundland. In the eastern US, it extends as far south as North Carolina and Tennessee along the Appalachian Mountains. Disjunct populations occur in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.[4]
Historically, its native range in Europe has been limited to the Eastern, Northern, and Central regions, with populations in Western Europe being restricted to areas of high elevation. In the last century, however, its range has expanded. Secondary populations have become established in Denmark, the Netherlands, northern France, northern Germany, and eastern England.[10]
Goodyera repens is a protected species throughout most of its range. It does not survive fire, and does not soon reenter an area after fire or logging. It is generally found only in forests at least 95 years old.[11]
In its first heterotrophic and subterranean life stage, the plant is entirely dependent on these mycorrhizal fungi, as the tiny seeds contain only minimal amounts of energy reserves in the form of lipids.[6]
In North America, G. repens was used medicinally by several indigenous peoples. The Mohegans of Connecticut used the orchid to prevent thrush in babies. The Potawatami used the plant to treat ailments of the female reproductive system, stomach, and bladder, as well as a treatment for snake bites. Some early European settlers in North America used G. repens to treat scrofula, eye infections, and as a demulcent.[13]
Taxonomy
Basal leavesFruits
Goodyera repens was named Satyrium repens in 1753 by Linnaeus.[2] Many scientists since then have moved the species to another genus, but the accepted name was created in 1813 by the botanist Robert Brown when he moved it to a new genus he named Goodyera. With the rest of its genus it is classified as part of the family Orchidaceae.[2][14] The species has no accepted varieties, but has 25synonyms.[2]
123456Abrahamson, Ilana L. 2013. Goodyera repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/goorep/all.html [2026, January 3].
↑Williams, T. Y. (1990). "Goodyera repens". Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
