Neottia nidus-avis

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Neottia nidus-avis, the bird's-nest orchid, is a non-photosynthetic orchid native to Europe and parts of Asia and North Africa. It grows up to 40 cm tall and can bear up to 60 flowers on each stem. The plant is usually beige-brown and lacks green parts, getting all its nutrients from a mycorrhizal fungus in the soil, which in turn feeds on tree roots. It’s well camouflaged in leaf litter.

It flowers from May to June. It occurs across much of Europe and also in Algeria, Tunisia, western Siberia, the Caucasus, Iran and Turkey. In Britain and Ireland it favours shady woodlands, especially beech, on basic soils, and it is considered near-threatened there.

The orchid relies on a relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, particularly Sebacina dimitica in the UK. Pollination is mainly by flies, with ants possibly helping; if pollinators are scarce, the plant may self-pollinate.

The name bird's-nest orchid comes from the tangled root structure that resembles a bird's nest. Some related twayblade species have been moved into the Neottia genus.