Listera,
kaksikot
This genus is mainly circumpolear, but L. ovata can be commoly found
further south. Both of the Finnish species are comon at least in parts
of Finland.
They both have creeping rhizome. Sometimes new plants form from the tips of the roots, and these plants can be found from a distance from the mother-plant. L. ovata usually grows in clumbs, but L. cordata is more loose.
These plants pollinate with small bugs, excpecially, L. cordata
mainly gets pollinated by them. L. ovata is not that specified,
it has lot of different insects which suite for pullination. The plants
produce lot of seeds, it is not unusual that all flowers will form seed.
The plants wither early and flower-stems will never stay up over winter.
Te flower last for a long time, they don´t always even wither before
leaves! The special effect in flowers is that in young plant the lip is
close to the stem, and when the flower is pullinated, the lip "stands up".
The insects which climp to the flower downward only climp to flowers which
are not pollinated and leave other flowers alone. The lip guides them to
get on right flowers. The flowers have lot of nectar. The nectar is on
the lip, not in a spur, and that is propably the reason why the flowers
have many insects which don´t wisit in usual flowers (in L. ovata)
such as flies.