You Are Here: Wildflower Guide > Winter> Puttyroot
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Puttyroot is a native orchid, found fairly commonly throughout our deciduous woodlands from mid- to lower elevation, often found alongside the Cranefly Orchid. It actually blooms in spring (this photo was taken in May) but the plant is most noticed during the winter, when nothing else is green on the ground. Puttyroot puts out a single leaf in late summer that persists until the plant flowers the following spring. So all winter long, you will see these unusual leaves on the forest floor - they are a dusky grey-green in color, deeply creased and looking like crepe paper. In spring, the leaves die back by the time the flowers have opened. The flowers stalk is about 1 foot high, bearing very nondescript greenish-purple flowers about a 1/2 inch long. Most people don't notice the flowers, but they do notice the leaves in winter - which is why I placed it here in the winter category.