About Neottia auriculata (Wiegand) Szlach.
Mature Neottia auriculata has two ovate, sessile leaves that are paired on the stem and arranged oppositely. It produces small pale-green flowers, with three sepals and three petals. The lowest petal is modified into a wider lip, which is divided between one-fourth and one-third of its length. Neottia auriculata is a rare orchid species. It was proposed as a threatened species in the US in 1975, but later surveys found it occurs in greater abundance than was initially believed. In the Great Lakes region, it occupies a very specific habitat: sandy soils just above the high water line of rivers that enter Lake Superior. It is found associated with alders, or on mossy banks under trees.
