Isotria verticillata

Common Names

Large Whorled Pogonia, Whorled Pogonia, Purple Fiveleaf Orchid, Large Five-Leaves, Large Whorled Pogonia Orchid

Summary

Isotria verticillata is an eastern North American terrestrial orchid and perennial herb with a hollow purplish-brown stem topped by a whorl of five to six green leaves, the flowering stalk bearing one to two yellowish-green flowers with purplish-brown sepals and yellow-green petals, and the lip yellowish-green to white with purple streaks, the plant forming extensive clones via underground rhizomes and growing to about 4 to 40 cm tall in acidic soils of forests, seeps, and sphagnum bogs, in cultivation it prefers acidic soils in forested shaded settings but can tolerate sun to shade and often forms colonies, propagation is primarily vegetative via rhizomes while seed germination requires compatible fungi with seeds wind-dispersed, and it is used in woodland or shade garden plantings and habitat plantings with management emphasizing protection of hydrology and minimizing disturbance near colonies to support its long-term persistence

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

8-16 inches

Spread

4 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3b-10b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade, also grows in full sun and full shade.

Soil Type

Moist, acidic soils—typically sands or loams with very low nutrients (pH about 4.2–5.2).

Soil Drainage

Well-drained

Soil pH

4.2-5.2

Bloom Color

Yellowish-green to white, streaked with purple

Bloom Time

Spring (April–June)

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Seedlings grow very slowly, extensive clonal growth with hundreds of stems

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts solitary bees