In the wild...is it an orchid?

[mrobert]

Most of the ID questions are just too easy. Here is something a little harder. I don't even know if it is an orchid...for all I know it might be a weed.

Location: Pacific Grove California
Growing in sandy, dense, and moist soil and sprouting up from beneath a thick growth of English Ivy growing in the shade.
The deep red in the center of the flower is a little bucket of nectar. The pollen is above this bucket and is "in a packet" (like many orchids) (as opposed to freely dispersing and dusting off, like a lily). After handling the plant gently I noticed I had triggered a mechanism that ejected and glued the pollen pods to my hand. There were three plants in and the two in bloom had color variation (the one growing in more light had less vivid colors).

[mrobert]

The stem of the plant is the piece of foliage that looks most out of place (center, vertical, reddish):

[Ross]

Yep. Looks like a "Lady's Tresses" to me (Spiranthes).

[dave b]

I did some Google searching on California native orchids, and looks like you found a Epipactis helleborine. Check it out, looks like a match. Very cool find.

[Orchidflowerchild]

Nah that's an Epipactis helleborine.

-Cj

[camille1585]

I was going to say Epipactis helleborine too. It's quite common in parts of France as well. Funny to see how it exists at literally opposite sides of the world! This is the one I found 2 years ago in a forest in the south-east of France, near the Gorges du Verdon.

[lambelkip]

it's definately epipactis helleborine. they're considered invasive weeds. they were imported from europe in the 1800s, and have spread across much of the continent. the only epipactis species native to the united states is epipactis gigantea

[mrobert]

It may be an invasive weed but it is still the first orchid I've spotted growing in the wild (truth be told it was in an unkempt "weedy" are of a parking lot). Thanks for the ID.