For Your Garden - January 2016

Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year.

twayblade orchid (Liparis liliifolia)
Photo © 2016, River Valley Photographic Resources Ltd., rvprltd.com

Twayblade orchid grows in woodlands throughout the state. It blooms from May through July. The flowers have three sepals and three petals. The two lateral petals are threadlike. The petal in the center has a broad lip. Flowers develop singly in a spike. The flowers are mauve-colored. The plant grows to a maximum of 10 inches in height. Two basal leaves are present.

Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.