# Common Twayblade (*Neottia ovata*)

The Common Twayblade is a special plant that grows in shady places like forests. It has beautiful green leaves and tiny flowers that look like little bells. This plant is quiet and likes to blend in with its surroundings.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Forests

![Common Twayblade](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Listera_ovata_230503.jpg&width=800)

Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Listera_ovata_230503.jpg)

## Appearance

The Common Twayblade is a subtle green orchid with two broad, oval leaves growing opposite each other low on its unbranched stem. Its tiny, greenish-yellow flowers are arranged in a loose spike, often blending in with its surroundings.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Asparagales
- **Family:** Orchidaceae
- **Genus:** Neottia

## Interesting facts

- Its name comes from its two large leaves, which look like two blades of grass!
- The Common Twayblade can quietly live for many years in the same spot in the forest.
- This plant produces hundreds of thousands of tiny, dust-like seeds that travel by wind!
- Unlike many orchids, its small green flowers are perfectly designed for tiny insects, not big show!

## Special abilities

- **Master of Camouflage:** Common Twayblade has dull green colors that help it disappear into its leafy forest home, making it hard for grazers to spot.
- **Fungal Friendships:** Common Twayblade can secretly get nutrients from tiny fungi in the soil, helping it grow even in poor conditions.
- **Sticky Pollen Delivery:** Common Twayblade has a special sticky glue that squirts onto insects, ensuring its pollen hitches a ride to new flowers!

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 15-50 cm
- **Spread:** 5-15 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late spring to mid-summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Symbiotic with:** Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungus (*Rhizoctonia repens*) — Gets nutrients from this fungus to grow.
- **Pollinates:** Common Wasp (*Vespula vulgaris*) — Attracted to its flowers, carrying pollen to other plants.
- **Eaten by:** [Black Slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — Slugs and snails sometimes munch on its leaves.
- **Pollinates:** Fungus Gnat (*Mycetophila fungorum*) — Small flies are often key pollinators for its tiny flowers.

## Traits

- [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell.
- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch plants in the wild, as some can be harmful.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Common Twayblade?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Common Twayblade?

15-50 cm

### How wide does Common Twayblade spread?

5-15 cm

### How big are the flowers on Common Twayblade?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Common Twayblade bloom?

Late spring to mid-summer

### Is Common Twayblade edible?

No

### Is Common Twayblade toxic?

None

### What is Common Twayblade's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Zoologická zahrada Děčín - Pastýřská stěna](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/zoologick-zahrada-d-n-past-sk-st-na) — Ústí nad Labem Region, CZ · Zoo

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Common Twayblade: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-twayblade)