Goodyera repens

The main habitat of the genus Goodyera is southestern Asia ,and some individual species are dispersed in the temperate Zone all over the Northern Hemisphere .G.repens is not a typical terrestrical orchid -its stoloniferous rhizomes trail along the surface layer of mosses and needles of coniferous trees . The rhizomes are intensely branched and give rise to entire groups of slender plants in natural locations .Another unusual feature of the life of this species is that it is an evergreen -new leaves are not produced until late summer and in the fall ,they survive the winter and die only when a new generation of flowers begin to develop . The leaves are elongated and egg -shaped ,arranged in small rosettes on the ends of the rhizome protuberances .The erect flower spike is 4 -12 in/10-30 cm tall and bears 5 -15 tiny ,partially open and strikingly hairy white flowers . Goodyera orchids are happy in mossy coniferous forests and semi-shade .G .repens blooms between June and September and its natural habitat consists of scattered locations in Europe and Asia Minor.