Russet Witch Liparis liliifolia

The Purple Twayblade is a flowering, perennial wildflower in the orchid family and native to Canada and the northern United States. While not common, it is native to North Carolina. It consists of a pair of basal leaves and a thin, reddish flowering stalk topped by a raceme of 5 to 30 brownish purple flowers  The stout stem is hairless.  The flowers are 3/4 to 1 inch across, each having 3 sepals and 3 petals on a short reproductive column.  Two drooping lateral petals are pale purple in color and have a threadlike shape.  The third petal is the lip of the flowers and is pale purple with faint purple veins. The genus name is from the greek, liparos, meaning fat or shining alluding to the greasy-looking leaves.

Purple Twayblade does best in partial sun to light shade with moist to dry well-drained soil. However, this orchid adapts to many soil types, including rich loam, sandy loam, glacial till, and thin rocky soil with a slightly acid pH. To germinate and grow, this plant's seeds require the presence of a strain of Rhizoctonia/Tulasnella fungus found across its range.

The basal leaves are browsed by both White-Tailed Deer and the Cottontail Rabbit.

Purple Twayblade can be found growing in moist forests, floodplains, and is common in North Carolina mountains, uncommon in the Piedmont, and rare in the Coastal Plain. It spreads through seeds transported by the wind. The root system is a bulbous corm with fibrous roots. A new corm develops adjacent to the old corm, from which future flowers and leaves are produced.

Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: 

It is listed as a vulnerable species in North Carolina and is not recommended for the home landscape.