FNA: Goodyera oblongifolia vs. Goodyera

Phenology

Flowering mid Jul–mid Sep.

Habitat

Moist or dry coniferous or mixed woods, in East infrequent in cedar swamps, in s Rocky Mountains confined to high elevation spruce-fir forests

Elevation

0–3400 m (0–11200 ft)

Distribution

AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; ME; MI; MT; NE; NM; OR; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; SK; Mexico

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Nearly worldwide; primarily Southeast Asia; ca 16 species in Western Hemisphere

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

In eastern North America, Goodyera oblongifolia is restricted to formerly glaciated areas.

Plants with leaves white-reticulate on the lateral veins have been described as Goodyera oblongifolia var. reticulata. This segregate, essentially coastal in distribution, occurs from northern California to southeastern Alaska and is less frequent inland from British Columbia to New Mexico and in Michigan and Wisconsin. Because garden transplant experiments (J. A. Calder and R. L. Taylor 1968, vol. 1) have shown that both reticulate and non-reticulate leaves are found within the same clone, varieties are not recognized.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species 40–100 (4 in the flora).

The four species of Goodyera in the flora are sometimes difficult to distinguish, especially without flowers. This difficulty is compounded, even with flowers, by the intermediate nature of Goodyera tesselata, which is likely an allotetraploid derived from G. repens with white-reticulate leaves and G. oblongifolia, and by the presence of triploid hybrids in some mixed populations of the three species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key

1. Lip scrotiform, apex reflexed, no fleshy callosities on inner surface; rostellum notched; inflorescences cylindric (equally dense on all sides); leaves with midrib bordered by broad white bands and lateral veins traced with narrower white bands, both sharply demarcated from adjacent green tissue.	G. pubescens
1. Lip deeply concave or saccate, apex spreading or recurved, fleshy callosities on inner surface; rostellum with 2-pronged beak; inflorescences loosely spiraled or secund (infrequently cylindric); leaves uniformly green or reticulate with white or pale green on midrib and/or lateral veins.	→ 2
2. Leaf blades usually with only midrib whitened (infrequently with lateral veins, especially those near midrib, lightly penciled in white); sepals 5.7–7.8 mm; lip 4.9–7.9 mm; rostellar beak 2.3–3.6 mm; lip apex short, spreading or slightly arching with upright or involute margins.	G. oblongifolia
2. Leaf blades uniformly green or reticulate with white or pale green on lateral veins and sometimes midrib (very infrequently only midrib whitened in G. tesselata); sepals 3–6 mm; lip 1.8–5.5 mm; rostellar beak 1.7 mm or less; lip apex spreading or recurved with spreading margins.	→ 3
3. Lip narrowly saccate with elongate, recurved apex; rostellar beak 0.2–0.6 mm, shorter than body of stigma.	G. repens
3. Lip deeply concave with short spreading or recurved apex; rostellar beak 0.6–1.7 mm, equal to or longer than body of stigma.	G. tesselata