General:
Perennial herb from lance- to spindle-shaped stem-bases, with a few fibrous roots; stems 5-60 cm tall, thick, soft, leafy.

Leaves:
3 or more along stem, oblong to linear-lanceolate, 3-25 cm long, 0.4-4 cm wide, ascending to spreading, gradually reduced to bracts above.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a few- to densely-flowered spike, the flowers small, yellowish-green, with bracts; lateral sepals spreading to bent back, lanceolate, the upper sepal egg-shaped to nearly elliptic, slightly hooded at tip; petals egg-shaped to lance or scythe-shaped; lip rhomboid to lanceolate, 2.5-6 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, descending, entire, the base not round-dilated; spur 2-5 mm long, club-shaped or sometimes somewhat cylindrical; anther sacs appearing atop stigma, the tips close together or touching, the bases widely diverging; viscidia round.

Fruits:
Capsules, ascending to erect.

Notes:
Much of what has been identifed as P. hyperborea (L.) Lindl. in BC is P. aquilonis. Some material could be P. huronensis. Collections of P. hyperborea from Vancouver Island most likely are P. stricta. Further field collections are required to understand the distribution of P. aquilonis and P. huronensis in BC.

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:
Habenaria hyperborea auct. non (L.) R. Br.
Platanthera hyperborea (L.) Lindl.