Liparis Makino

Family Orchidaceae. In deciduous, usually rather shady forests, on a thick layer of litter, among a poorly developed herbaceous cover one can find Liparis Makino.

This small (11 - 23 cm) plant has two large (5 - 12 cm), bright green leaves, blunt, tapering to the base, slightly stem-clasping, and a stem tuber covered with the bases of withered leaves. The inflorescence is many-flowered (up to 20 flowers), the bracts are small, acuminate, up to 1.5 mm long. The middle segment of the outer perianth whorl is lanceolate, somewhat blunt, with auricles at the base, up to 11 mm long, set at a right angle to the ovary. The lateral segments, like the middle one, are greenish, up to 10 mm long, inequilateral, with an ear-shaped expansion at the base. The inner segments of the perianth are bluntish, purple. The lip is 12–15 mm long, archingly pendulous, rounded at the tip or with a small acute point, wine-red in color. The column is bent, greenish. Flowers in June - July. Grows singly or in small groups.