Serapias helleborine L.
Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz
Broad-leaved helleborine
Broad-leaved helleborine is an orchid native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Introduced to North America, it is widespread in eastern Canada and the northeastern US.
Plants: 10–24″ (25–60 cm) tall, with one to several stems.
Leaves: Ovate-lanceolate, puberulent, 1–6 ⨉ ½–2″ (3–15 ⨉ 1.5–6 cm). The leaves have parallel veins and clasp the stem. Plants typically have 3-10 leaves.
Flowers: A raceme 4–12″ (10–30 cm) high of up to 50 nodding flowers. Each flower is underlaid by a lanceolate-linear bract ¾–2 ⨉ ⅜–¾″ (2–6 ⨉ 1–2 cm)—much longer than the flower. Sepals (3) and similar-appearing petals (2) are ovate-lanceolate, ⅜–½″ long ⨉ ~3/16″ wide (1–1.5 cm ⨉ 5–6 mm). They are green, and often tinged with purple or pink. The labellum, a lip or tongue-like protuberance that serves as a pollinator landing pad, is ⅜–½″ long ⨉ ⅛–¼″ wide (1–1.5 cm ⨉ 4–8 mm). Flowers appear from late summer to early fall.
Fruits: Egg-shaped to elllipsoid smooth or finely hairy capsules, with hundreds of tiny seeds.
Habitats: Forests, swamps, and riverbeds, as well as lawns, sidewalks, gardens, and roadsides.
Online References:
Epipactis latifolia (L.) All.
Serapias helleborine L.
Serapias helleborine L.
7/17/2010 · Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (14 × 23 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
7/17/2010 · Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 5 × 7″ (13 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/22/2023 · Moxie Falls, Moxie Gore, Maine · ≈ 8 × 10″ (19 × 26 cm) 
8/1/2009 · Gordon & Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 4½″ (9.1 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/17/2010 · Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 7 × 10″ (18 × 24 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/17/2010 · Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 7 × 10″ (18 × 25 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Orchidaceae | Orchid family |
| Genus | Epipactis | Either from the Greek epipaktis or epipegnuo, the name adopted for this genus which was originally called hellebore, and which refers to a milk-curdling property claimed for some species |
| Species | helleborine | From the Greek helleboros, the name of a kind of plant called the hellebore, a genus of some 15 species native mostly to Europe and especially the Balkans. Despite the common names of a couple of helleborine species, Christmas rose and Lenten rose, they are actually in the buttercup family |
Epipactis helleborine description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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