Goodyera tesselata — checkered rattlesnake-plantain
![Inflorescences: Goodyera tesselata. ~ By Louis-M. Landry. ~ Copyright © 2024 Louis-M. Landry. ~ LM.Landry[at]videotron.ca ~ CalPhotos - calphotos.berkeley.edu/flora/](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/goodyera-tesselata-in-llandry.jpg)
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Checkered rattlesnake-plantain is thought to have evolved from a cross between dwarf rattlesnake-plantain (Goodyera repens) and giant rattlesnake-plantain (Goodyera oblongifolia). Specimens may be intermediate between these two taxa, or they may closely resemble dwarf rattlesnake-plantain with white-reticulate veining on the leaves. Interestingly, it may be impossible to distinguish this species from first-generation hybrids of the parent taxa, without chromosome analysis.
Habitat
Forests
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Number of leaves on stem
- absent
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum has a pouch-like shape
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is simple in form
- Main color of lower petal
-
- green to brown
- yellow
- Nectar spur
- there are no nectar spurs on the flower
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Lower petal characteristics
- the labellum is in the shape of a pouch
- Lower petal length
- 3–5.5 mm
- Sepal length
- 3.8–6 mm
-
Flowers
- Flower petal color
- white
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Flowering date
-
- August
- July
- September
- Flowers per inflorescence
- 5–72
- Form of lower petal
- the labellum has a pouch-like shape
- Hairs on flower stalk
- the flower stalk has at least some hairs with glands at their bases or tips
- Hairs on inflorescence axis
- at least some of the hairs on the main stem of the inflorescence have glands
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Labellum position
- the labellum is in the lower position on the flower
- Length of flower stalk
- 0 mm
- Length of narrowed base of lower petal
- 0 mm
- Length of peduncle
- 60–230 mm
- Lobes at base of lower petal
- 0 mm
- Lower petal characteristics
- the labellum is in the shape of a pouch
- Lower petal length
- 3–5.5 mm
- Lower petal outline
- the labellum is simple in form
- Lower petal strongly red-veined
- no
- Main color of lower petal
-
- green to brown
- yellow
- Nectar spur
- there are no nectar spurs on the flower
- Nectar spur length
- 0 mm
- Number of stamens
- 1
- Orientation of side petals
- the lateral petals are angled steeply upwards
- Pollen sacs
- the pollinia remain intact and do not fragment into smaller parts
- Self-pollinating flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on this plant
- Sepal length
- 3.8–6 mm
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Shape of viscidium
- the viscidium is another shape than the choices given
- Spots on lower petal
- no
- Spur opening membrane
- NA
- Spur opening shape
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed capsule orientation
- the capsule points upwards or is angled outwards
-
Growth form
- Plant green or not
- the plant is chlorophyllous (it has green parts)
- Roots
- the rhizomes do not resemble coral
- Underground organs
-
- there are only slender roots on the plant
- this plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Bract relative length
-
- the bract is longer than the associated flower
- the bract is shorter than the associated flower
- Features of leaves
- the leaf is roughly checkered with green and white markings
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade edges
- the edges of the leaf blade have no teeth
- Leaf blade length
- 14–55 mm
- Leaf blade length to width ratio
- 1.6–2.1
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade tip
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- Leaf blade width
- 9–26 mm
- Leaves during flowering
- there are leaves on the plant when it is flowering
- Number of bracts on stem
- 3–5
- Number of leaves on stem
- absent
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
- forests
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- unrankable (S-rank: SU)
- Massachusetts
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
- Rhode Island
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), concern (code: C)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
4. Goodyera tesselata Lodd. N
checkered rattlesnake-plantain. Peramium tesselatum (Lodd.) Heller • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Mesic to dry-mesic, evergreen and mixed evergreen-deciduous forests. Goodyera tesselata is thought to be an allotetraploid between G. oblongifolia and a form of G. repens with white-reticulate leaves (Kallunki 1976). The description includes both triploid first-generation hybrids and stabilized tetraploid individuals. Some individuals of Goodyera tesselata approach G. repens in morphology and are very difficult to distinguish with confidence.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Goodyera repens:
- flowers usually arranged in a one-sided array, leaf blades with usually 5 nerves, and sac-like portion of lower petal (the labellum) as deep as wide (vs. G. tesselata, with flowers spirally arranged, leaf blades with 5-9 nerves, and sac-like portion of lower petal (the labellum) longer than deep).
- Goodyera pubescens:
- inflorescence dense, without a discernable spiral and flowering stem with 4-14 scale-like bracts (vs. G. tesselata, with inflorescence somewhat open, with a discernable spiral of flowers and flowering stem with 2-7 scale-like bracts).
Synonyms
- Peramium tesselatum (Lodd.) Heller