Goodyera pubescens (Willd.) R. Br.
Downy rattlesnake plantain, downy rattlesnake orchid
Downy rattlesnake plantain is native to eastern North America. The name reflects the snakeskin-like network of silvery white lines that make the leaves resemble the scales of a snake.
Plants: 8–16″ (20–40 cm), woolly, evergreen. It spreads via stolons, rootlike runners. It is often nestled in moss.
Leaves: Leaves are basal, rarely more than half an inch above the ground, and oval or narrowly oval, 1¼–2½″ (3.2–6.3 cm). They are dark green, with a broad white central stripe and a distinctive network of white veins.
Flowers: On cylindrical spikes, 2½–4″ (6.3–10 cm) tall. (The entire plant is up to 1′ (40 cm) tall.) Each flower is ¼–⅜″ (6.3–9.5 mm) in size. Flowers appear May-September, mostly in late July.
Fruits: Small erect brown ovoid capsules, containing minute seeds.
Habitats: Dry woods and mildly acidic soils. Technically, these are orchids, not plantains.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 378
Peramium pubescens (Willd.) MacMill.
8/27/2016 · Williams Barn and Sørhaug Woods, Groton, Massachusetts 
8/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 16 cm) 
5/15/1991 · King George, Virginia · By Tim Chandler 
8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 6″ (16 × 15 cm) 
7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 6″ (16 × 16 cm) 
8/5/2019 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (12 × 14 cm) 
6/26/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (19 × 15 cm) 
6/26/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 3″ (10 × 8 cm) 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
8/5/2019 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 7″ (23 × 17 cm) 
9/14/2023 · Nature Conservancy Access Trail, Sprague Pond, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 4 × 3½″ (10 × 9.2 cm) 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
7/31/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 6″ (9.4 × 14 cm) 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
Seed pods in early spring · 4/8/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 5″ (10 × 12 cm) 
6/27/2025 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 3½″ (8.7 × 9.2 cm) 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
8/5/2019 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 8″ (19 × 20 cm) 
8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm) 
I was saddened to see that a small patch of these delicate plants, which I have visited many times, was carelessly uprooted by a hiker. · 8/17/2019 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
8/27/2016 · Williams Barn and Sørhaug Woods, Groton, Massachusetts 
5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire 
7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4 × 4″ (10 × 11 cm) 
8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.8 × 12 cm) 
8/5/2019 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 14 cm) 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Orchidaceae | Orchid family |
| Genus | Goodyera | Name for botanist John Goodyer |
| Species | pubescens | With soft, downy hair |
Goodyera pubescens description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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