Piperia elegans

Coast piperia

Family: Orchidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Coast piperia is a California native perennial orchid found in coastal regions of central and northern California in mixed evergreen and coastal forests at elevations near sea level to 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to August, this delicate orchid produces white to pale green flowers with distinctive white-margined petals and a small curved lip, arranged in an inflorescence 10 to 40 centimeters tall. Growing with slender, erect stems that vary in density depending on sunlight exposure, it develops a sparse to dense flowering spike. Its narrow leaves are primarily basal, typically withering by flowering time, with subtle green venation and a delicate structure. The small white flowers feature spreading lateral petals with green midveins and a lanceolate lip that curves downward, creating an intricate and elegant botanical display.

California counties: Monterey, Humboldt, Mendocino, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Mariposa, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Shasta, Sonoma, Trinity, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Tehama, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Tuolumne, Tulare, Butte, Fresno, Stanislaus, Yuba, El Dorado, Lake

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