Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Europe and Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

Broad-leaved helleborine is a terrestrial orchid native to Eurasia that has spread widely across North America, often colonising disturbed ground and forest edges. Its nectar contains narcotic compounds that sedate visiting wasps, causing them to linger longer and inadvertently carry more pollen between flowers.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Genus: Epipactis
Species: Epipactis helleborine