Listera smallii (Kidneyleaf twayblade orchid)

This is the remainder of my loooooooong day trip to north central Georgia mountains to botanize with my friends, Alan, Steve, and Max. We spent 16 hours either on the road or in the woods in the Chattahoochee National Forest. All in all, we had a very productive day...

You are probably beginning to tire of seeing so many Listera images, but I just love this little orchid. As I remarked to my botany friends, anyone who wants to see this one in the wild and hasn't, just isn't looking. Its very close association with Rhododenron maximum is remarkable. I have never seen it grow in a place that is not near Rhododendron. Most of the time, they are growing directly under its branches.

This orchid is mostly a tan/green, but occasionally it will be a bright green. Sometimes the lip lobes are rounded at the bottom; sometimes not. Probably just a normal variation in color and petal shape.