''Neottia'' is a genus of

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of

opposite leaves In botany, phyllotaxis () or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem. Phyllotactic spirals form a distinctive class of patterns in nature. Leaf arrangement The basic arrangements of leaves on a stem are opposite and alterna ...

at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

, subarctic and

arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

regions across most of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, northern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

(

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

, China, the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

, etc), and North America, with a few species extending into subtropical regions in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, the southeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, etc.Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2006). Epidendroideae (Part One). Genera Orchidacearum 4: 1-672. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford. ''Neottia'' produces a racemose inflorescences with flowers in shades of green or dull pink through to maroon and purple. The lip of each flower is prominently forked or two-lobed. Some species (those which were previously the only members of the genus ''Neottia'' in the strict sense, such as the bird's-nest orchid, ''

Neottia nidus-avis ''Neottia nidus-avis'', the bird's-nest orchid, is a non-photosynthetic orchid, native to Europe, Russia and some parts of the Middle East. Description ''Neottia nidus-avis'' grows to tall and each shoot can carry up to 60 flowers. Plants ar ...

'') are completely without chlorophyll and have leaves which are reduced to scales.

Description

''Neottia'' is a genus of relatively small terrestrial orchids. Some (the former genus ''Listera'') have chlorophyll and are hence gaining their energy from

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

. Others (the formerly narrowly defined genus ''Neottia'') lack chlorophyll and are dependent on fungi for their nutrition ( mycotrophic). The flowering stem has a number of greenish or brownish bracts at the base. In the photosynthetic members of the genus there are also two more-or-less opposite green leaves (very rarely more than two in ''

Neottia ovata ''Neottia ovata'' (formerly ''Listera ovata''), the common twayblade or eggleaf twayblade, is a terrestrial orchid widespread across much of Europe and Asia Description The flowering stems are typically tall, occasionally up to . There are t ...

''). The flowers are individually small, in shades of green, yellow, brown or red to purple. The lip is usually much larger than the other five

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s, and is almost always deeply divided into two lobes at the end. The other five tepals may form a loose hood. The

pollinia A pollinium (plural pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of mil ...

are not stalked.

Taxonomy

At one time the genus was divided between ''Neottia'' and ''Listera''. Molecular phylogenetic studies in this century have shown that species lacking chlorophyll, such as ''

'', evolved within a larger clade of photosynthetic plants containing ''Neottia'' and ''Listera'',, p. 864 so that the two genera should be combined. As ''Neottia'' is the older name, sources such as the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'' and the ''Flora of China'' now use ''Neottia'' for all species formerly in ''Listera''. Other sources continue to divide the genus into two.

Species

Species accepted as of June 2014: #''

Neottia acuminata ''Neottia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of opposite leaves at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to temperate, subarctic ...

'' Schltr. - China, Japan, Korea, Russian Far East, Himalayas #''

Neottia alternifolia ''Neottia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of opposite leaves at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to temperate, subarctic ...

'' (King & Pantl.) Szlach. - Sikkim, Yunnan # ''

Neottia auriculata ''Neottia auriculata'' (syn. ''Listera auriculata''), the auricled twayblade, (as ''Listera auriculata'') is a species of terrestrial orchid found in northeastern North America (Labrador, New Brunswick and Maine west to Manitoba and Minnesota. ...

'' (Wiegand) Szlach. (syn. ''Listera auriculata'') – auricled twayblade (former ''Listera'' only) - eastern Canada, northeastern USA #'' Neottia bambusetorum'' (Hand.-Mazz.) Szlach. - Yunnan # '' Neottia banksiana'' (Lindl.) Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers (syn. ''Listera caurina'') - northwestern twayblade – from Alaska to California #'' Neottia biflora'' (Schltr.) Szlach. - Sichuan # ''

Neottia bifolia ''Neottia bifolia'' (syn. ''Listera australis''), common name southern twayblade, (as ''Listera australis'') is a species of terrestrial orchid found in eastern Canada (from Nova Scotia to Ontario) and the eastern United States (from Florida west ...

'' (Raf.) Baumbach (syn. ''Listera australis'' Lindl.) – southern twayblade - eastern Canada, eastern USA # '' Neottia borealis'' (Morong) Szlach. – northern twayblade - most of Canada including Arctic regions, plus mountains of western US #'' Neottia brevicaulis'' (King & Pantl.) Szlach. - eastern Himalayas and Yunnan #''

Neottia brevilabris ''Neottia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of opposite leaves at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to temperate, subarctic ...

'' Tang & F.T.Wang - Chongqing #''

Neottia camtschatea ''Neottia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of opposite leaves at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to temperate, subarctic ...

'' (L.) Rchb.f. in H.G.L.Reichenbach - Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, northwestern China, Central Asia #'' Neottia chandrae'' Raskoti, J.J.Wood & Ale - Nepal #'' Neottia chenii'' S.W.Gale & P.J.Cribb - Sichuan, Gansu #'' Neottia confusa'' Bhaumik - Arunachal Pradesh # '' Neottia convallarioides'' (Sw.) Rich. – much of Canada, western and northern US, Komandor Islands of Russia - broad-lipped twayblade # ''

Neottia cordata ''Neottia cordata'', the lesser twayblade or heartleaf twayblade, is an orchid of upland bogs and mires that rarely exceeds in height. It was formerly placed in the genus '' Listera'', but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that ''Neot ...

'' (L.) Rich. – widespread across Europe, northern Asia, Canada, US - lesser twayblade, heartleaf twayblade #'' Neottia dentata'' (King & Pantl.) Szlach. - Himalayas, Myanmar #'' Neottia dihangensis'' Bhaumik - Arunachal Pradesh #'' Neottia divaricata'' (Panigrahi & P.Taylor) Szlach. - Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet #'' Neottia fangii'' (Tang & F.T.Wang ex S.C.Chen & G.H.Zhu) S.C.Chen, S.W.Gale & P.J.Cribb - Sichuan #''

Neottia flabellata ''Neottia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of opposite leaves at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to temperate, subarctic ...

'' (W.W.Sm.) Szlach. - mountains of northern Myanmar #'' Neottia formosana'' S.C.Chen, S.W.Gale & P.J.Cribb - Taiwan #'' Neottia furusei'' T.Yukawa & Yagame - Japan #'' Neottia gaudissartii'' Hand.-Mazz. - Shanxi, Henan, Liaoning #'' Neottia inagakii'' Yagame, Katsuy. & T.Yukawa - Honshu #'' Neottia japonica'' (Blume) Szlach. - Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Jeju-do Island of Korea #'' Neottia karoana'' Szlach. - eastern Himalayas, Yunnan #'' Neottia kiusiana'' T.Hashim. & S.Hatus. - Korea, Japan #''

Neottia kuanshanensis ''Neottia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of opposite leaves at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to temperate, subarctic ...

'' H.J.Su - Taiwan #'' Neottia latilabra'' (Evrard ex Gagnep.) ined.. - Vietnam #'' Neottia listeroides'' Lindl. in J.F.Royle - mountains from Pakistan to Tibet and Assam #'' Neottia longicaulis'' (King & Pantl.) Szlach. - eastern Himalayas, Tibet #'' Neottia mackinnonii'' Deva & H.B.Naithani - western Himalayas #'' Neottia makinoana'' (Ohwi) Szlach. - Japan #'' Neottia megalochila'' S.C.Chen - Sichuan, Yunnan #'' Neottia meifongensis'' (H.J.Su & C.Y.Hu) T.C.Hsu & S.W.Chung - Taiwan #'' Neottia microglottis'' (Duthie) Schltr. - western Himalayas #'' Neottia microphylla'' (S.C.Chen & Y.B.Luo) S.C.Chen, S.W.Gale & P.J.Cribb - Yunnan #'' Neottia morrisonicola'' (Hayata) Szlach. - Taiwan #'' Neottia mucronata'' (Panigrahi & J.J.Wood) Szlach. - China, Japan, Korea, eastern Himalayas #'' Neottia nanchuanica'' (S.C.Chen) Szlach. - Chongqing #'' Neottia nandadeviensis'' (Hajra) Szlach. - Uttarakhand #'' Neottia nankomontana'' (Fukuy.) Szlach. - Taiwan #'' Neottia nepalensis'' (N.P.Balakr.) Szlach - Nepal # ''

'' (L.) Rich. – widespread across most of Europe; also Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Iran, Caucasus, western Siberia - bird's-nest orchid #'' Neottia nipponica'' (Makino) Szlach. - Russian Far East, Korea, Japan #'' Neottia oblata'' (S.C.Chen) Szlach. - Chongqing # ''

'' (L.) Bluff & Fingerh. - Europe, Siberia, Central Asia, Southwestern Asia – common twayblade, eggleaf twayblade #'' Neottia pantlingii'' (W.W.Sm.) Tang & F.T.Wang - eastern Himalayas #'' Neottia papilligera'' Schltr. - Japan, Korea, Russian Far East, northeastern China #'' Neottia pinetorum'' (Lindl.) Szlach. - Himalayas of India, Nepal, China, etc. #'' Neottia pseudonipponica'' (Fukuy.) Szlach. - Taiwan #'' Neottia puberula'' (Maxim.) Szlach. - China, Japan, Korea, Siberia, Russian Far East # '' Neottia smallii'' (Wiegand) Szlach. – Appalachian Mountains of eastern US - kidneyleaf twayblade #'' Neottia smithiana'' Schltr. - Sichuan, Shaanxi #'' Neottia smithii'' (Schltr.) Szlach. - Sichuan #'' Neottia suzukii'' (Masam.) Szlach. - Taiwan #'' Neottia taibaishanensis'' P.H.Yang & K.Y.Lang - Shaanxi #'' Neottia taizanensis'' (Fukuy.) Szlach. - Taiwan #'' Neottia tenii'' Schltr. - Yunnan #'' Neottia tenuis'' (Lindl.) Szlach. - Tibet, Nepal, eastern Himalayas #'' Neottia tianschanica'' (Grubov) Szlach. - Xinjiang #'' Neottia unguiculata'' (W.W.Sm.) Szlach. - Myanmar #'' Neottia ussuriensis'' (Kom. & Nevski) Soó - Primorye region of Russia #'' Neottia × veltmanii'' (Case) Baumbach - Michigan ''(N. auriculata × N. convallarioides)'' #'' Neottia wardii'' (Rolfe) Szlach. - China, Tibet #'' Neottia yunnanensis'' (S.C.Chen) Szlach. - Yunnan

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment
(former ''Listera'' only) {{Authority control Neottieae genera Myco-heterotrophic orchids