E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Neottia banksiana (Lindley) Reichenbach f.
northwestern twayblade
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Neottia banksiana
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from slender rhizomes, with fibrous roots; stems 10-30 cm tall, slender, with 2 leaves, glandular-hairy above.

Leaves:
Two, near middle of stem, roughly opposite, broadly egg-shaped, 2.5-7 cm long, 1.8-4.5 cm wide, abruptly tapered to base.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a few- to many-flowered, terminal raceme, the flowers greenish to yellowish; sepals 3-4 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, 1-veined, distinct, spreading; petals similar to sepals, 2.8-3.5 mm long; lip 4.5-7 mm long, about 3.5 mm wide, wedge- to egg-shaped, rounded or with shallow notch at tip, with a pair of lateral threadlike teeth at base; column 1.5-2.5 mm long.

Fruits:
Capsules, spreading, egg-shaped, to 7 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

1. Lips deeply cleft into two linear pointed lobes................L. cordata

1. Lips entire or shallowly cleft into blunt lobes.

2. Lips rectangular or oblong, with rounded lobes at base, without a pair of lateral teeth................L. borealis

2. Lips wedge-shaped, with a pair of lateral teeth, no lobes at base.

3. Ovaries glabrous; lips with a long slender tooth on each side at the base, not hairy-margined...................L. caurina

3. Ovaries slightly glandular-hairy; lips with a short triangular tooth on each side at the base, finely hairy-margined.................L. convallarioides

Source The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist forests, bogs and meadows in the montane and subalpine zones; frequent on the coast, infrequent in NW BC and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains south of 55 degrees N; N to AK, E to AB and S to WY, ID and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5 (2019)	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Listera caurina Piper

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Orchidaceae
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2026-08-08 11:47:33 PM ]

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