Lily-leaved Twayblade
Liparis liliifolia
From Illinois Wildflowers
This native perennial wildflower consists of a pair of basal leaves and a flowering stalk. The basal leaves are 3-6" long and about one-half as much across. The inflorescence is an erect raceme about 4-10" tall that bears 5-30 flowers. The central stem of the raceme is light green, hairless, and rather stout. Individual flowers are about ¾–1" across, consisting of 3 sepals, 3 petals, and a short reproductive column. Each sepal is up to ½" long, greenish white, and linear in shape. The 2 lateral petals are up to ½" long, pale purple, filiform (worm-like) in shape, and drooping. The lower petal is the lip of the flower; it is about ½" long, pale purple, obovate in shape with faint purple veins, and either flat or gently curved. Above the base of the lip, there is an incurved reproductive column less than ¼" in length that is greenish.
