General:
Perennial herb from bulblike bases (corms) to 8 mm across, with a few fibrous roots; stems 10-20 cm tall, leafless, smooth, pale green.

Leaves:
One, near base, egg-shaped to elliptic, 2-10 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, light green, keeled on back, the sheathing stalk 2-3 cm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a loosely-flowered, terminal, spikelike raceme, the flowers small, greenish-white, the flower stalks about 2.5 mm long; bracts about 1.5 mm long, lanceolate; sepals 1-2 mm long, the upper erect, narrowly egg-shaped, the lateral 2 narrowly lanceolate, somewhat curved behind the lip; petals 1-2 mm long, linear, bent back, pointed at tips; lip 2 mm long and wide, drooping downward, broadly triangular, the base heart-shaped, the tip beaked; column less than 1 mm long.

Fruits:
Capsules, ellipsoid, erect, to 5 mm long.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Malaxis monophyllos subsp. brachypoda (A. Gray) A. Löve & D. Löve
Malaxis monophyllos var. brachypoda (A. Gray) F. Morris & Eames