Western rattlesnake plantain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Western rattlesnake plantain
Scientific classification
Genus:	Goodyera
Species:	oblongifolia
Synonyms
Spiranthes decipiens Hook. Goodyera menziesii Lindl. Orchiodes decipiens (Hook.) Kuntze Peramium menziesii (Lindl.) Morong Peramium decipiens (Hook.) Piper Epipactis decipiens (Hook.) Ames Goodyera decipiens (Hook.) F.T. Hubb. Goodyera oblongifolia var. reticulata B. Boivin Goodyera oblongifolia f. reticulata (B. Boivin) P.M. Br.

Goodyera oblongifolia is a species of orchid known by the common names western rattlesnake plantain and giant rattlesnake plantain. It is native to much of North America, particularly in the mountains of the western United States and Canada, from Alaska to northern Mexico, as well as in the Great Lakes region, Maine, Quebec and the Canadian Maritime Provinces.

Goodyera oblongifolia is most commonly found in mountain forests, often in the understory of conifers. This orchid forms a patch of broad lance-shaped to oval-shaped leaves at the ground, each 4 to 9 centimeters long. The leaf is dark green and in this species the midrib is streaked with white. The netlike veining on the leaf is also white, but not as thick as the midrib stripes. The plant produces an erect inflorescence up to about 30 centimeters tall. The top of the inflorescence has many white orchid flowers which may all face the same direction on the stalk, or be spirally arranged about it.

The common name stems from the leaves, which have marks resembling snakeskin; the plant is also said to have been used to treat snakebites.

See also

In Spanish: Goodyera oblongifolia para niños