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Goodyera pubescens
Also called Rattlesnake plantain
Downy rattlesnake plantain is a native North American terrestrial orchid grown mainly for its evergreen, white-veined leaves, and it is hard to keep alive in gardens. The key to success is shade, acidic well-drained soil, and avoiding wet roots; plants should come from specialty nurseries, not the wild.
Goodyera pubescens, the downy rattlesnake plantain (also known as Peramium pubescens ), is one of the most common orchids native to eastern North America. It is found from Florida to Nova Scotia, west to eastern Oklahoma, Minnesota and Ontario.
Goodyera pubescens is an evergreen terrestrial herb with variegated leaves. The variegation is in the form of a densely reticulated network of veins that are a much lighter green than the rest of the leaf tissue. It is a creeping plant that divides on the ground surface and sends out short stolons. It may be terrestrial or, occasionally, epipetric, growing on rock shelves. It prefers mildly to moderately acidic soils, such as in oak-heath forests.
This orchid is of a desirable aesthetic to many gardeners, but keeping it alive in a non-wild setting is challenging. The infrequent sunlight, acidic soil, high fungal activity, and drainage required makes it difficult to cultivate in gardens. It is only found in specialty nurseries since taking it from the wild is not condoned and will likely kill the specimen.
Goodyera pubescens is found through much of the eastern part of North America, ranging from Florida all the way north to Ontario, going as far west as Oklahoma. (USA: AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV; Canada: NB, NS, ON, QC.)
Goodyera pubescens is largely just seen as a plant kept for visual aesthetic reasons in wildflower plantings due to its interesting leaf structure and resilience. It was once used historically as a medicinal plant by Native Americans for curing numerous ailments. The roots were made into a tea for treating lung inflammation/breathing pain and for snakebites. The leaves were used to improve appetite, cold treatment, kidney problems, joint pain reducer, or even for toothaches. The wilted leaves were used to cool burns, to deal with skin ulcers, or as a pain reliever. These are historical or cultural uses and are no longer currently recommended.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Goodyera pubescens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
