North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, & Trees

Orchidaceae > Tipularia (cranefly orchid)

One of the most common orchids in NC, Cranefly Orchid grows in wooded habitats statewide.

The flower stalks appear in mid to late summer, long after the leaves (which are found only from fall to spring) have disappeared.

A single leaf appears in the fall, after the tree canopy leaves have dropped, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. Tipularia leaves then photosynthesize all winter long and wither and disappear in the spring, after the emergence of the canopy leaves which block the sunlight from the forest floor.

The undersides of Tipularia leaves are dark purple.

Fruits are capsules that ripen in the fall. Seeds are tiny!