Goodyera, commonly called rattlesnake plantain, jade orchids or ladies' tresses is a wide-ranging genus of orchids in the tribe Cranichideae. About 100 species of Goodyera have been formally described. With a center of diversity in East Asia, Goodyera is found across Europe, Madeira, North and Central America, Australia, and on islands from the west Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. They have a rosette of leaves at their base and usually many small white resupinate flowers. They are similar to orchids in the genus Spiranthes but can be distinguished from them by the shape and colour patterns of the leaves.

Description

Plants in the genus Goodyera are mainly terrestrial plants with a fleshy, creeping rhizome and a loose rosette of leaves at the base of a flowering stem with many small, resupinate flowers. The leaves are elliptic, characteristically asymmetrical and green with white or pale green markings. The entire plant apart from the flowers is covered with slightly sticky hairs. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap, forming a hood over the column and the lateral sepals spread widely. The labellum is not lobed but has a small pouch. Orchids in the genus Spiranthes are similar but Spiranthes lack rhizomes, have flat, non-pouched labella, and display plain green leaves.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Goodyera was first formally described in 1813 by Robert Brown and the description was published in William Aiton's Hortus Kewensis. The genus name honours John Goodyer. Generic delimitation of Goodyera remains problematic, with some authors providing evidence to support a narrower circumscription of the genus. The genus is abbreviated G. in horticultural nomenclature.

Distribution

With a center of diversity in East Asia, Goodyera is found across Europe, Madeira, North and Central America, Australia, and on islands from the west Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

List of species

The following is a list of species of Goodyera recognised by Plants of the World Online as at May 2023: