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goodyera pubescens - downy rattlesnake plantain

Picture
This plant grows up to 18 inches tall when flowering.  The flower stalk is between 8 and 16 inches tall and has a cylindrical cluster of many small, white, round flowers atop a leafless, wooly stalk rising from a rosette of dark blue-green, white-veined leaves from 1.2 to 2.4 inches long.  The flowers are 1/4" long.

These highly decorate leaves are unusual and are often collected for ornamentation, a practice to be discouraged.  It can be mistaken for Goodyera repens (Dwarf Rattlesnake Plantain) when not flowering, but the Dwarf Rattlesnake Plantain has flowers less than 1/4" and they are only on one side of the flowering stalk.  The common name of this plant refers to the mottled leaves, which resemble a snake's skin, a similarity that once suggested their use as a snakebite remedy.

This plant is found in dry or moist, deciduous or coniferous woods and well-drained wooded slopes.  It flowers from May to September.

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  • Home
  • Animals
    • Birds >
      • Avian Taxonomy
      • Bird Species Profiles
    • Mammal Species Profiles
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians >
      • Frog and Toad Species Profiles
    • Fish
    • Arthropods >
      • Arthropod Species Profiles
  • Plants
    • Native Plant Societies
    • Eastern Plant Identification Guide
  • Fungi
    • Fungi Species Profiles
  • Protists
  • Nature Products Store
  • Cell Phone Ringtones
  • Madbird Feeder Cam
  • Ramblings of the Madbird Biologist
  • Bird Videos
  • News in Science
  • Nature Inspired Recipes
  • An Introduction to Scientific Classification and Naming
  • Birds in the Classroom
  • Resources
  • About Me