Penny Perspectives - Listera Cordata, Heartleaf Twayblade

Day 194: Another little green thing found while belly-crawling through the woods...

A member of the Orchid family, Heartleaf Twayblade (Listera cordata) is somewhat uncommon, and not easy to spot due to its green color and diminutive size. A pair of heart-shaped leaves appear at the midpoint of the stem, topped by a spike bearing up to15 individual blossoms. Seen in a Penny Perspective, the flowers reveal the logic behind its common name. The lower petal is strongly divided, forming two blade-shaped lobes, "tway" reflecting an archaic form of the word "two." This elegant yet inconspicuous dainty is most likely to be found in damp, shady areas, in bogs or beside streams.

Penny Perspectives - Heartleaf Twayblade, Listera Cordata

Day 215: If I had shown you the photo on the left, how large do you think you would have said the individual blossoms were? Welcome to "Penny Perspectives" where I'll show you some very tiny wildflowers in close-up views. This is Heartleaf Twayblade (Listera cordata), another of western Washington's native orchids. Overall, the plant stands about six inches in height, and midway on the stem bears the two heart-shaped leaves which give it the first portion of its common name. The second half of its name refers to the long, two-forked petal at the bottom of the flower. Like its Orchidaceae cousins, it likes damp, shady forests and is often found along streambanks, blooming in late spring and early summer. This specimen (one of dozens) was photographed at Longmire.