Aplectrum hyemale

(Muhl. ex Willd.) Torr.

Puttyroot

G5Secure Found in 61 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.131051
Element CodePMORC03010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderOrchidales
FamilyOrchidaceae
GenusAplectrum
Other Common Names
Adam and Eve (EN) Adam-and-Eve (EN) Aplectrelle d'hiver (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-10-05
Change Date1984-04-05
Edition Date2023-10-05
Edition AuthorsWeldy, Troy W. (2005), rev. C. Nordman (2023)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale) occurs in hardwood forests in eastern North America in the United States and Canada. It ranges from western New England west through southern Quebec, southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and southeastern Minnesota south to eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, north Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, and North Carolina.. It is estimated that there are more than 2,500 occurrences. It is threatened by forest management practices, especially clearcut logging, habitat loss and fragmentation, such as from residential development, and invasive exotic plants.
Range Extent Comments
Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale) occurs in eastern North America; in the United States and Canada, it ranges from western New England west through southern Quebec, southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and southeastern Minnesota south to eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, north Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, and North Carolina. Range extent was estimated to be 2.1 million square kilometers, using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1992 and 2023 (FNA 2002, GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2023).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1992 and 2023, it is estimated that there are more than 2500 occurrences of Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale), rangewide (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023).
Threat Impact Comments
Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale) is threatened by forest management practices, especially clearcut logging, habitat loss and fragmentation, such as from residential development, and invasive exotic plants (Buczynski 2019, Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Puttyroot orchid spends the fall through the early spring as a solitary basal leaf that can be seen sticking slightly up at an angle from ground-level. The leaf is oval with a pointed tip and base, dark green with white stripes along the veins, and pleated. The underside is a purplish color. During May or June a green (with a few colorless bracts) flowering stem 1-2 feet tall is produced and the leaves wither. At the top of the stem 7-15 widely spaced flowers arise on stalks about as long as the flowers. The tan and green flaring sepals and forward-facing petals have showy purple tips. The lip is white with purple spots and a wavy edge. As the flowers age they tend to hang down.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Leaves coming up in the fall and persistent through the winter, petiolate; blade narrowly to broadly elliptic, prominently and irregularly plicate (pleated), up to 20 cm long, underneath usually maroon or greenish purple, top of leaf dark green with whitish veins ((Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2002).

Habitat

Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale) occurs in rich, mesic hardwood forests and into swampy forests, at 0 to 1200 meters elevation (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2002, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2023).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - Hardwood
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN2
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS1Yes
OntarioS2Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MassachusettsS1Yes
MarylandSNRYes
OklahomaSHYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
VermontS1Yes
IndianaS5Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
New YorkS1Yes
MississippiS1Yes
IowaS3Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
New JerseyS1Yes
WisconsinS2Yes
AlabamaS2Yes
MissouriSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
North CarolinaS4Yes
DelawareS1Yes
MichiganSNRYes
KansasS2Yes
GeorgiaS3Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
IllinoisS3Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
South CarolinaS3Yes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
ArkansasS3Yes
ConnecticutSHYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, WINTERGREEN
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (61)
Arkansas (3)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Joe GapChattahoochee National Forest5,321
Patterson GapChattahoochee National Forest1,186
Illinois (2)
AreaForestAcres
Burke BranchShawnee National Forest6,231
Ripple HollowShawnee National Forest3,788
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Spring Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest4,899
North Carolina (17)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Dobson KnobPisgah National Forest6,111
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Middle Prong AdditionPisgah National Forest1,852
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Wesser BaldNantahala National Forest4,061
Wilson CreekPisgah National Forest4,863
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Tennessee (7)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
London Bridge BranchCherokee National Forest3,387
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Slide HollowCherokee National Forest4,057
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Virginia (21)
AreaForestAcres
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Crawford MountainGeorge Washington National Forest9,892
Elliott KnobGeorge Washington National Forest9,380
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
Mountain Lake Addition AJefferson National Forest1,469
Mountain Lake Addition B (VA)Jefferson National Forest3,405
Mountain Lake Addition CJefferson National Forest494
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Peters Mountain Addition A (VA)Jefferson National Forest1,268
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
Three SistersGeorge Washington National Forest8,149
West Virginia (7)
AreaForestAcres
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
Mountain Lake Addition B (WV)Jefferson National Forest557
Peters Mountain Addition A (WV)Jefferson National Forest343
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
Turkey MountainMonongahela National Forest6,421
References (7)
  1. Buczynski. R. 2019. Aplectrum hyemale Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry, New Jersey Forest Service, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 12 pp. [<a href="https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/aplectrum-hyemale-puttyroot.pdf">https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/aplectrum-hyemale-puttyroot.pdf</a>]
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2023).
  4. iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  6. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2023. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of April 14, 2023. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2105 pp.