Neottia cordata

Neottia cordata, the lesser twayblade[2] or heartleaf twayblade,[3] is an orchid of upland bogs and mires that rarely exceeds 15 cm in height. It was formerly placed in the genus Listera, but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that Neottia nidus-avis, the Bird's-nest Orchid, evolved within the same group.[4]

Lesser twayblade
Lesser twayblade in Snowdonia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Neottia
Species:
N. cordata
Binomial name
Neottia cordata
(L.) Rich.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Listera cordata (L.) R.Br.
  • Ophrys cordata L.
  • Epipactis cordata (L.) All.
  • Helleborine cordata (L.) F.W.Schmidt
  • Cymbidium cordatum (L.) Londes
  • Serapias cordata (L.) Steud.
  • Distomaea cordata (L.) Spenn.
  • Pollinirhiza cordata (L.) Dulac
  • Diphryllum cordatum (L.) Kuntze
  • Listera nephrophylla Rydb.
  • Ophrys nephrophylla (Rydb.) Rydb.
  • Neottia nephrophylla (Rydb.) Szlach.
  • also several names at the form and variety levels
Neottia cordata (as Listera cordata) from Bilder ur Nordens Flora

It is never very common but may be frequently overlooked because of its small size and a tendency to grow underneath heather on sphagnum moss. The single erect flower-stem is often tinged red and is clasped near the base by a pair or ovate-orbicular glossy green leaves. The small flowers which look deceptively simple in structure for an orchid, are purple-green in colour with a somewhat swollen calyx.

Distribution

It has a circumpolar distribution being found in Europe, Asia, Greenland and large parts of North America. In the United Kingdom its distribution is western and northern becoming most common in the western highlands and is also found in Snowdonia and the Lake District.[5] (Codes) [6]

Ecology

The flowers produce nectar and are pollinated principally by fungus gnats in the groups Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae.[7]

Mycorrhizal partners are almost exclusively fungi in the Sebacinales clade Serendipitaceae. There may also be some association with Ceratobasidiaceae and/or Tulasnellaceae.[8][9]

References
  1. "Neottia cordata", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2012-04-04
  2. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. "Listera cordata". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  4. Stace, Clive (2010), New Flora of the British Isles (3rd ed.), Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5, p. 864
  5. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families".
  6. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families TDWG Geocodes" (PDF).
  7. Journal of Ecology - Biological Flora of the British Isles: Neottia cordata
  8. Journal of Ecology - Biological Flora of the British Isles: Neottia cordata
  9. Molecular Ecology - Two widespread green Neottia species (Orchidaceae) show mycorrhizal preference for Sebacinales in various habitats and ontogenetic stages
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