Goodyera pubescens
Goodyera pubescens, the downy rattlesnake plantain, is one of the most common orchids native to eastern North America. It is found from Florida to Nova Scotia, west to eastern Oklahoma, Minnesota and Ontario.
Goodyera pubescens is an evergreen terrestrial herb with variegated leaves. The variegation is in the form of a densely reticulated network of veins that are a much lighter green than the rest of the leaf tissue. It is a creeping plant that divides on the ground surface and sends out short stolons. It may be terrestrial or, occasionally, epipetric, growing on rock shelves. It prefers mildly to moderately acidic soils, such as in oak-heath forests.
Description
Goodyera pubescens is a plant in the Orchidaceae family that is commonly found in North America. The genus Goodyera are terrestrial plants with a fleshy rhizome with basal evergreen leaves in a rosette pattern - frequently having white or pale green markings. Inflorescences are in the form of a spike of small flowers, usually white with green or brown markings and have fragrant odor. Most of the plants, excluding and petals, are covered in small hairs. The primary difference between Goodyera and Spiranthes is that Goodyera have elliptic leaves with white or pale green markings.Goodyera pubescens flowers in mid July-early September with a small spike inflorescence of between 10 and 57 cylindric flowers. The leaves have the white-green marbling in the form of veins throughout, broadly elliptic to broadly ovate, with either an acute or obtuse apex. The peduncle is 11–35 cm long. Flowers: Lateral sepals 3.1 - 5.3 mm long with distinct petals of 3.6 - 5.7mm. The petals lip is scrotiform 2.5 - 4.2 x 2.2 - 3.5mm in size with the apex reflexed with a slightly tuberculate outer surface. The inner surface is smoother but has thicker veins throughout. The anthers are inflexed within a cup-shaped clinandrium. The white flowers are usually atop a leafless stalk.
There are similar species within the genus Goodyera that G. pubescens can be confused with. The Dwarf Rattlesnake plantain G. repens has smaller flowers that only have inflorescence on one side of the stalk. Both G. tesselata and G. oblongifolia are only found in Canada. Goodyera tesselata can be differentiated by its dull green leaves with much paler veins, G. oblongifolia leaves only have one primary vein compared to the more dense network of veins of G. pubescens. All of the rattlesnake plantains are described as such because their venation resembles snakeskin.
Distribution and habitat
Goodyera ''pubescens is found through much of the eastern part of North America, ranging from Florida all the way north to Ontario, going as far west as Oklahoma.Goodyera pubescens thrives in mesic to dry forests. This species prefers well drained, slightly acidic soil with a somewhat high sand content. It requires a high amount of shade from shaded canopy or shrubs, but smaller shrubs can easily overtake it. High drainage is essential since orchids can have problems with the soil being over-saturated, often leading to the death of the plant. You can find this species growing in both dry and moist conditions, with a soil mixture of a sandy loam, or loam with a high clay content. It can also be found in deciduous or coniferous forests since they provide the necessary partial shade. Goodyera pubescens'' also functions as a National Wetland Indicator Species.
| Region | Status Code |
| Eastern Mountains and Piedmont | FACU |
| Atlantic Gulf Coastal Plain | UPL |
| Midwest | FAC |
| Northcentral & Northeast | FACU |
Ecology
Compared to other orchid genera, Goodyera is fairly hardy, surviving more readily in colder conditions, being able to utilize a wider variety of nutrients, and thriving in more types of soil under more broad lighting conditions. Goodyera pubescens has a germination rate of over 90% even in very cold climates, which is why it is found in very cold climates such as the northern US and Canada. This species prefers loamy soils or humus, but it will also grow into decaying wood of Liriodendron tulipifera or Quercus alba with a preference towards woody substrates with a high amount of fungal activity. However, the rhizomes of G. pubescens cannot survive particularly harsh winters in the northern edge of its distribution.Goodyera pubescens grows via a rhizome in a colonial pattern, flowering only once a year at maturity of 4–8 years of age. After flowering the root will have one to three offshoots which then generate new rosettes, creating offspring after the parent plant dies. Most G. pubescens individuals do not survive long enough to reach the age of maturity. The mature rosettes flower after being triggered by a dry period in the spring when there is higher than average temperatures. These specific circumstances may not occur in a season and can take several years to occur, explaining the long maturity time. White-tailed deer have a preference towards eating the leaves, rosettes, and inflorescences. As deer populations have increased over the last several decades, the number of rosettes per plant has increased to counter the number that get consumed by deer.