Tag Archives: Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale)

Another Native Orchid

May 8, 2026

I find it remarkable to that here in Virginia we have 64 to 67 Orchids that are native to our state. Remarkable that these plants can survive and produce breathtaking flowers here. Thinking about it, I Googled another state very special to me, New Mexico, which surely would be an even more challenging environment for these delicate seeming plants. There are 17 to 24 native Orchid species there. Amazing.

In this photo, an Orchid that is native to Virginia, Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale). It’s blooming right now in my woods on a 12 inch tall stalk. As the flowers fade it leaves no sign of the plant, but in late autumn a new single leaf, green with many length-wise faint white stripes emerges. That leaf persists through the winter, sometimes beneath snow, until just before the plant again produces a springtime stalk of flowers.

Nature is indeed amazing.

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Putty Root In Winter

January 20, 2026

Approximately 64 species of Orchids call Virginia their native home. This is one of those native Orchids, Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale), often found growing alongside Beech and Maple trees, in calcareous ravines.

It has an odd way of presenting itself. Its single leaf emerges from the soil in late November and lives until March. A rumpled looking leaf with thin white stripes alternating with broader green stripes. The other side of the leaf, which often faces down, is a purplish green or a dull purple.

Blooming takes place mid-May to early June, producing a stalk or scape on which 6 to 18 flowers are arranged. The flowers are 3/4 to 1 inch long and slightly less across. There are years though when that single winter leaf does not produce a flower due to environmental conditions during the winter.

A single scape with blooms in the summer and a single leaf during the winter, but not together.

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A Native Orchid

May 9, 2025

Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale), an Orchid native to eastern North America. A raceme comes up out of the soil mid-spring with no leaves. It blooms with multiple flowers, each perhaps a bit less than 1/2 inch across.

The flowers last perhaps 2 or 3 weeks slowly fading away. In autumn a single leaf is produced, green with white pinstripes. The leaf stays green through the winter fading away in March.

So many wonders to find in the woods!

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