An Adaptable Orchid

Orchids are commonly thought to be fragile, temperamental plants that require exacting conditions and tropical locations. Not so the broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). This hardy and adaptable plant is native to portions of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It was brought to North America in the 1800s, and it has been spreading ever since. It's now found across much of the US and Canada. In some places, it's even considered to be a noxious weed.

The broad leaves that give 'broad-leaved helleborine' its name.

Not particularly impressive from here.

Helleborine is a generalist. It can grow in many different habitats, including human-disturbed ones. It attracts a wide variety of pollinators including hoverflies, mosquitoes, wasps, and ants, as well as bees.

However, some populations of helleborine do away with pollinators entirely and self-pollinate instead.

The plant isn't all that impressive from a distance. It could easily be mistaken for a scraggly and dull-colored weed. It's worth bending down for a closer look, to appreciate the complex, purple-and-green flowers. They definitely have an orchid-like flamboyance to them.

Much prettier at this distance.

Note: don't confuse helleborine with hellebore, which is a different group of plants in the buttercup family native to Europe and Asia. Helleborine means 'similar to hellebore', as there are some similarities between the two types of plants.

As for the derivation of 'hellebore', this may have been lost to history. One possibility comes from the Greek words heleîn, (to injure) and borá, (food), since hellebores are poisonous.

Helleborine is also poisonous. In fact, there's some evidence that helleborine produces narcotics to stupefy (and cause pleasure?) in their pollinators. This evidence is disputed, however. Even if the plants do produce intoxicating substances, the amounts will be vanishingly small. And, helleborine definitely contains substances that cause vomiting, diarrhea, and convulsions. So - enjoy a close look at the flowers, but don't try nibbling them.

You'll find helleborine scattered here and there throughout the preserve.