Putty Root Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) is native, usually in higher elevations, of eastern and central U.S., and Canada. Here in Virginia this tiny orchid is often found growing alongside Beech and Maple trees, in calcareous ravines.
It produces a single leaf, oval with pointed tip, in late November and lives on until March. That single leaf has thin white stripes set against broader rich green stripes, often with a rumpled texture. The other side which tends to face the ground is most often a purplish green or a dull purple.
That single leaf begins to wither away and finally vanishes as the plant produces a single stalk of 8 to 16 flowers, less than a foot tall in April, occasionally blooming in May and June. Often though that single leaf that survived through the winter does not produce a flower stalk. Leaving me and my camera, searching for native orchids to photograph, scratching our heads.
