Piperia elegans subsp. elegans

Coast piperia, elegant piperia, Elegant Piperia

Family: Orchidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Coast piperia is a California native perennial found in northern coastal, western Klamath Ranges, northern coastal ranges, central coastal, and San Francisco Bay Area regions in dry, open sites, scrub, and conifer forest at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces white to pale green flowers with distinctive green-based petals and a musky fragrance. Growing with slender stems 12 to 73 centimeters tall, it emerges from a basal configuration with leaves 6 to 30 centimeters long. Its basal leaves are broadly lance-shaped, measuring 10 to 75 millimeters wide, with a distinctive white to pale green lip and a flower spur 7 to 14 millimeters long. The delicate orchid-like flowers are borne on an elegant inflorescence that rises from the woodland or scrub floor.

Habitat: Generally dry, open sites, scrub, conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: NCo, w KR, NCoRO, CCo, SnFrB

California counties: Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Humboldt, Monterey, Sonoma

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