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  1. #1
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    Default Green and Purple Leaves

    Found these today in central Mississippi in woodland near river. Help me identify please. No other groupings of these basil leaves were found in the area. Underside of leaves are purple. Most leaves have fallen off the trees in this wooded area. Mostly deciduous trees.

    DSCF3701.JPGDSCF3702.JPG

  2. #2

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    Are you sure these are indigenous plants? I'd be looking around for the foundation of an old building. I like going hiking in the spring because an easy way to find an old homestead or school building is to look for domesticated flowers that come up in the spring. That looks like something that escaped from somebody's kitchen garden or flower bed.

  3. #3
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    Those are the leaves of Cranefly Orchids. The leaves come up in November and feed the plant all winter. In the spring, the leaves die and the orchid comes up and blooms in mid-summer.

  4. #4
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    The area has been used for picnics long ago. Let's speculate it's an escape. Calling all gardeners to help identify :-) It might be an herb. We've had a few nigths temperatures that dropped into lower thirties and these leaves are surviving. Tomorrow I'll go to the local Walmart and look through the fresh veggie dept. to see if anything looks familiar.

  5. #5
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    Bmelee is right. Those are crane fly orchids. One of at least 3 orchids that put out their leaves in the winter and the leaves disappear in the summer but the flowers come out briefly in the summer. 2 other orchids with this strange behavior are puttyroot and rattlesnake plaintain

  6. #6

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    My sage is turnin’ purple.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bmelee View Post
    Those are the leaves of Cranefly Orchids. The leaves come up in November and feed the plant all winter. In the spring, the leaves die and the orchid comes up and blooms in mid-summer.
    Thank you. I'm very fortunate to have found such a beauty that may be rare in this vicinity. I'll be sure to try and follow it's growth come spring.

    I have found the Rattlesnake Plantain back in northern Illinois. It's nice to add another orchid to my finds.

    The leaves of the Cranefly are a rare sight in the woodlands where I'm at for the winter months. I'll keep my eyes looking for more ;-)

    Thank you all for your help identifying the plant.

    https://virginiawildflowers.org/2015...pled-cranefly/

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