RHH's photos with the keyword: helleborine

The Broad-leaved Helleborine is usually counted among our native orchids, since it has naturalized in many different locations, but it is in fact not a native and not even a North American species. It was brought to eastern Canada by settlers in the 19th century who used it to curdle milk, and has since spread across southern Canada and the United States. Interestingly, we've found it mostly long railways or old abandoned tracks.

This orchid is not really a native, but a European import that has naturalized itself all across the country. It was first reported in Canada in the late 1800'sand since then has spread quickly. We found it growing along a railway line, an indication, perhaps, of how it has spread. Further pictures and a description of this lovely "weed" can be found at: nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2010/09/b... .

This is one of the native orchids that we go see in Larrabee State Park. The trail to Clayton Beach, a remote area of the park, follows a path through the woods, crosses a railroad track and includes a couple of scrambles down the rocks. This orchid is found above and below the tracks and along them. Epipactis helleborine, the Broad-leaved Helleborine, is not truly a native, but a European import first found in the US in 1878 that has spread all across the northern part of the country and of southern Canada. It is one of two Epipactis species in the Pacific Northwest, the other a true native. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/10/t...

Here's another photo of the Broad-leaved Helleborine, the European plant that was, according to the reports I've read, introduced into this country by settlers who considered it a remedy for gout. This photo of a more colorful form than the green and pink flowers I posted earlier (see below) There is huge variation in these. The plants themselves vary in size from a foot to four feet tall. The flowers vary in color from green to a deep pink or purple and the flowers, which also vary a great deal in number, are sometimes widely spaced as on this stem and sometimes crowded together. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2010/09/b...

One more picture of this species, this time of a very dark flowered plant, this one also from the Clayton Beach area of Larrabee State Park. The variation in color, flower number, and size of the plants is amazing. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2010/09/b...

My photos of this orchid species have drawn considerable comment from those who know it in Europe and who are surprised at how different these plants are from what they know. Here is another photo showing a side view of the flowers. The whole matter has interested me to the point that I hope to do further investigation this summer when they bloom again and will check with the University of Washington Herbarium to see if they can give me any information. For those who have not seen the previous photos, this is the Broad-leaved Helleborine, a non-native, introduced into this country in the late 1800's by European settlers. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2010/09/b...