- Scientific name: Goodyera repens
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need (MA State Wildlife Action Plan)
- Endangered (MA Endangered Species Act)
Description
Dwarf rattlesnake-plantain is a small white orchid (family Orchidaceae) of shady conifer or mixed hardwood-conifer forests. The striking dark green leaves, which are variegated with white or pale green markings along the veins, are much more conspicuous than the small white flowers. The leaves are evergreen, oval-shaped, about 2.5 cm (1 in) long, and arranged in a dense basal rosette. The flower stalks are leafless, grow singly from the centers of the rosettes, and are usually about 15 cm (6 in) tall. Numerous small flowers about 4 mm (0.16 in) long are arranged in a loose spiral around the stem but are typically twisted to the side such that on most plants the spikes of flowers appear one-sided. Plants spread by underground horizontal stems and are often found growing in small clonal patches of several plants.
Identification of dwarf rattlesnake-plantain requires the evaluation of several characters, and careful, precise measurements. Plants with the following characteristics can be identified as dwarf rattlesnake-plantain with a high degree of confidence, but some plants will fall somewhat outside these conservative specifications and will need further investigation. This species blooms in midsummer.
Largest leaves, including petioles, 3 cm (1 ¼ in) or less long.
Flowers, excluding their stout green stalks, 4 mm (0.16 in) or less long.
Pouch of the lower flower lip pronounced and about as deep as it is long.
Three rattlesnake-plantain species occur in Massachusetts. The Downy rattlesnake-plantain (G. pubescens) is easily differentiated from dwarf rattlesnake-plantain by its densely flowered, cylindric flower spikes (i.e., not appearing one-sided) and leaves with a broad white stripe along the mid-vein as well as along the lateral veins (dwarf rattlesnake-plantain has white or pale green markings along secondary veins, but never along the mid-vein). The checkered rattlesnake-plantain (G. tesselata), a common Massachusetts species, is a hybrid of giant rattlesnake-plantain (G. oblongifolia), a species that is not known from Massachusetts, and dwarf rattlesnake-plantain. There is overlap in most of the diagnostic characteristics used to separate dwarf rattlesnake-plantain from checkered rattlesnake-plantain and some individuals cannot be easily placed with either species.
The best characteristic for diagnosing problematic plants is the length of the rostellar beaks; they are 0.2-0.6 mm (<0.01 in) and shorter than the body of the stigma in dwarf rattlesnake-plantain, and 0.6-1.7 mm (0.02-0.07 in) and equal to or longer than the body of the stigma in checkered rattlesnake-plantain. The rostellum is a lobe of the stigma, circular to elliptical in outline, found at the top of the column (complexly fused and modified reproductive parts) in the center of the flower. The beaks are a pair of lobes at the top of the rostellum. Using this diagnostic characteristic requires familiarity with the orchid flower morphology and experience with conducting fine botanical measurements. A professional botanist should be consulted to verify the identification of this species.
Life cycle and behavior
Population status
Dwarf rattlesnake-plantain is listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act as Endangered. All listed species are protected from killing, collecting, possessing, or sale and from activities that would destroy habitat and thus directly or indirectly cause mortality or disrupt critical behaviors. The MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program has 6 records from 5 counties: Berkshire, Essex, Franklin, Hampshire, and Worcester. None of these records have been observed within the last 25 years.
Distribution and abundance
Dwarf rattlesnake-plantain has a range that circles the globe in the north-temperate zone. It is transcontinental in Canada with northern limits in Alaska, the Yukon, and Newfoundland, and southern limits in British Columbia, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Habitat
There are few Massachusetts records for dwarf rattlesnake-plantain and most are from historic collections lacking habitat notes. Records from “pine woods,” “under hemlock,” “spruce woods,” and “hemlock swamp” are in keeping with published habitat preferences for the species (shady coniferous or mixed forests). Two Massachusetts records from “mid-successional hardwood forest” and “rich woods” seem atypical.
Healthy habitats are vital for supporting native wildlife and plants. Explore habitats and learn about conservation and restoration in Massachusetts.
Threats
The single extant Massachusetts population (as of 2010) is on conservation land and has no known threats or management needs. All active management of rare plant populations (including invasive species removal) is subject to review under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act and should be planned in close consultation with MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program.
Conservation
References
Fernald, M.L. 1899. The rattlesnake plantains of New England. Rhodora 1: 2–7. [Note: Prior to this publication, what we now know as G. tesselata would have been ascribed to G. repens or G. Menziesii (=G. oblongifolia).]
Kallunki, J.A. 1976. Population studies in Goodyera (Orchidaceae) with emphasis on the hybrid origin of G. tesselata. Brittonia 28: 53–75.
Kallunki, J.A. 1981. Reproductive biology of mixed-species populations of Goodyera (Orchidaceae) in northern Michigan. Brittonia 33: 137–155.
Kallunki, J.A.. 2002. Goodyera. Pages 514–517 in Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Editors). Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 26: Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA.
St. Hilaire, L.R. 2002. Goodyera oblongifolia Raf. (Giant rattlesnake-plantain) Conservation and Research Plan for New England. New England Wild Flower Society, Framingham, Massachusetts, USA.
Contact
| Date published: | April 29, 2025 |
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