Listera convallarioides

Broad-leaved twayblade

Family: Orchidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Broad-leaved twayblade is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains, and Modoc Plateau in moist, shady conifer forests at elevations of 800 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces small, delicate white to greenish flowers with a distinctive narrow, notched lip 8 to 13 millimeters long. Growing 10 to 35 centimeters tall with slender, erect stems emerging from underground structures. Its leaves are broad, with blades 2.5 to 7 centimeters long, abruptly tapered or rounded at the base. The flower's unique lip, which is roughly oblanceolate and narrows to a thin claw, gives this orchid its distinctive appearance.

Habitat: Moist, shady conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 800-2900 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, SNH, SnBr, SnJt, MP

California counties: Riverside, Fresno, Lassen, El Dorado, Lake, Siskiyou, Plumas, Butte, Kern, Placer, Mariposa, San Bernardino, Trinity, Tuolumne, Del Norte, Tehama, Modoc, Tulare, Inyo, Mono, Glenn, Shasta, Sierra, Mendocino, Calaveras, Nevada, Colusa, Humboldt, Alpine

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.