Goodyera tesselata — checkered rattlesnake-plantain
![Leaves: Goodyera tesselata. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/goodyera-tesselata-le-ahaines.jpg)
![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:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Orchidaceae/goodyera-tesselata-in-llandry.jpg)
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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.
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enlargeFacts
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
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant (basal)
- 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
- the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant (basal)
- 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)
New England distribution and conservation status
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
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Rhode Island
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), concern (code: C)
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
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
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.