The photo above shows the broad lower lip of the flower of western twayblade as seen along the Umatilla Rim Trail #3080 near Tollgate in the Umatilla N.F......June 24, 2007. Note the wrinkled margin to the lower lip with a slight notch at its tip.
Western twayblade is a perennial 10-30 cm tall. It consists of of a single stem with two opposite, oval to broadly elliptical leaves with parallel leaf venation. The leaves are found near mid-stem. The tips of the leaves are pointed and the bases are clasping. The stem above the leaves is generally very hairy.
The inflorescence consists of an open, terminal raceme of 5 to 25 flowers. The flowers are pale green to yellowish in color, with a rounded lip having a pair of horn-like teeth at the base. The lip is not divided into 2 long lobes. Individual sepals and petals are one-nerved and 3-5 mm long.
Western twayblade is found in moist, coniferous forests, along streambanks, and in wet meadows. It is found from low elevations to subalpine habitats.
Western twayblade is found from southern Alaska east to the western slopes of the Canadian Rockies. From there, the distribution is southward through Idaho, Montana, the Pacific Northwest, and hence to northwestern California.
