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The Surprising Putty Root Orchid

Thanks so much to my friend Carola, who has generously let me post her photos of Putty Root Orchids near her home in Virginia. She’s taken pictures over the seasons, so they illustrate a year in the life of this extraordinary North American species. These orchids boast handsome leaves with alternating green and silvery-white pinstripes. Surprisingly, the new leaves emerge in autumn, remain over winter, and then die back in spring as the plants start to bloom. The first row of photos shows the leaves in late winter, and a young flower spike popping up in May.

Aplectrum hyemale, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, variegated leaves, pin-striped leaves with alternating silvery-white and green stripes, growing wild in Virginia among brown fallen leaves in late winterAplectrum hyemale, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, variegated leaf, pin-striped leaf with alternating silvery-white and green stripes, growing wild in Virginia among brown fallen leaves and fallen branch in late winterAplectrum hyemale, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, flower spike emerging in May, growing wild in Virginia among brown fallen leaves and fallen branch

Aplectrum hyemale has earned the nickname Putty Root Orchid because of the traditional use of its sticky mashed tubers as glue. It’s also called the Adam and Eve Plant because its tubers grow as linked pairs. The species is native to eastern Canada and much of the eastern half of the USA. After blooming in the spring or early summer, their flowers often self-pollinate. Shedding their leaves before summer lets the plants avoid heat stress. By growing fresh leaves in fall, they take advantage of extra winter sunlight coming through the bare tree branches above.

Aplectrum hyemale, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, variegated leaves with flowers, growing wild in Virginia among brown fallen leaves in springAplectrum hyemale flowers, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, growing wild in Virginia in springAplectrum hyemale, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, variegated leaves, pin-striped leaves with alternating silvery-white and green stripes, growing wild in Virginia among brown fallen leaves and branches in October

The last two rows of pictures show the progression from spring blooms to swelling seedpods in autumn, and then winter’s cold. The final two photos below, with plants coated in ice on a chilly December day, are not what most people expect when they think of orchids.

Aplectrum hyemale seedpods, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, growing wild in Virginia in autumnAplectrum hyemale, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, variegated leaves covered in ice, pin-striped leaves with alternating silvery-white and green stripes, growing wild in Virginia among brown fallen leaves in DecemberAplectrum hyemale, Putty Root Orchid, Adam and Eve Plant, North American native orchid species, variegated leaves and seedpods covered in ice, pin-striped leaves with alternating silvery-white and green stripes, growing wild in Virginia among brown fallen leaves in December

Whenever discussing native plants, it’s important to remember never to take orchids from the wild. It’s illegal, and the plants don’t survive in cultivation. Take only photos, and leave only footprints. Be careful not to step on nearby vegetation if you’re admiring these surprising orchids. Photos courtesy of Carola Haas.

Explore posts in the same categories: Cool Growers, Orchids in the Wild, Photos

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 6th, 2021 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Cool Growers, Orchids in the Wild, Photos.

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