HelleborineEpipactis helleborine
From Orchids Wiki
The plant blooms in mid to late summer, and is found usually in areas of indirect sunlight. The plant usually becomes dormant during the winter and spring. It grows to 20–80 cm tall, rarely up to a metre, with four to ten leaves arranged spirally on the stem. The flowers are produced on a spike, each flower around 2.5 cm in diameter, pale green to whitish or pinkish in colour, and usually has a lavender tint on sepals.
Helleborine is native to Europe and Asia.
There are several recorded incidents where the plant has sprouted from mulch in the garden.
The plant usually grows in calcareous, sandy or clay soils and will grow in cool temperatures. Plants rely on rhizomes for survival which are underground. The plant will remain dormant in winter. Plant growth is somewhat correlated to rainfall. Roots rely on mycorrhiza fungus to grow. It has become an invasive species in forested areas of the United States and Canada
