General: Stream Orchid (Epipactis gigantea) is an upright, leafy plant of marshy areas around Las Vegas, mostly in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zones. Flowers appear in the spring, and seed pods follow soon after. The flowers are yellow-green and purplish.

Family: Orchid (Orchidaceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Upright, leafy wetland plant.

Height: To about 3 feet.

Stems: Single, upright.

Leaves: To about 6 inches long (shortest at top of plant), widely elliptic, with parallel veins.

Flowers: Blooms during spring and summer. Individual flowers yellow-green with purple veins.

Seeds: Produced in a seed pod.

Habitat: Seeps, wet meadows, and desert streams.

Elevation: Below about 7,500 feet.

Distribution: Western North America from British Columbia to Mexico, eastward to the Dakotas and Texas.

Comments: Although this species is widespread throughout North America, it is rare in the desert; please do not disturb these plants.