Plants : OrchidaceaeFerns and Flowering Plants

Listera ovata (L.) R.Br.

Common Twayblade

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Listera ovata

Description: Common Twayblade (Listera ovata) is a fairly common wild orchid which gets its English name from its having, normally, only two large oval leaves. The underground part of the plant is a short thick creeping rhizome from which grows the above-ground portion. The flowers are green or brownish-green with a very obvious forked lower lip hanging down from the flower. These flowers are arranged in a loose spike which varies enormously in length and number of individual flowers. It grows mostly in grassland, open woods or amongst bracken.

All names: Listera ovata (L.) R.Br.

Distribution Map from NBN: Listera ovata at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Listera ovata at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

 Hackney, P., 2026. Listera ovata. (L.) R.Br.. [In] Flora of Northern Ireland.
https://habitas.org/flora/species.php?item=2299. Accessed on 2026-11-02.