Guess This Plant

June 2023 – Guess That Plant

This is the FNJP’s 146th edition of Guess that Plant!

Junes Guess that Plant is a  spring herb found on disturbed sites on the Coastal Plain.  Think you know this plant? If so, send your answer for this month’s Guess that Plant.   

May’s Plant: 

Listera australis Lindl., Southern Tway-blade

May’s Guess that Plant was the nearly invisible southern tway-blade.  This tiny member of the Orchid family, Orchidaceae, is a rare member of the flora.  It has a State of New Jersey S3 rank, and it is found in all Coastal Plain counties. The plant is a perennial that appears in April and May in a variety of wet or moist habitats. Red maple dominated wetlands, Atlantic white cedar wetlands, pitch pine dominated wetlands are all habitat as long as there is a bed of sphagnum moss.  The flower color and the small size of the plant (up to 15 cm) make finding a specimen a challenge.

New Jersey is home to two other Listera species: Listera cordata and Listera smallii.  Both are confined to the Piedmont, Highlands, and Valley and Ridge Provinces.

JRA 5/2023