2 Wild Plant Identification Please

[SEVA]

Can someone confirm if plant #1 isTipularia discolor (crane-fly orchid)? If not, does anyone know what it is? It was getting dark when I took the photos.  I can try to take more in the daytime if that helps.  The first 3 photos are of the leaves and the last is of the fruit.

Plant #1

[SEVA]

Plant #2

It's the only pic I have at the moment.

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, SEVA said:

Plant #2

It's the only pic I have at the moment.

Not sure on the first Id,  though the picture of the maturing fruit looks orchid-like for sure..   Second plant looks like  Gautheria procumbens, aka American Wintergreen / Teaberry.  Leaves look a bit different on some examples of the plant on the net, but looks pretty close, imo. Next time you see it, check to see if the leaves produce that distinct Wintergreen scent. 

[SEVA]

More pics of plant #1.  There seems to be some variation in leaf color.  Most are purple on both sides of the leaf (both emerging and fully open leaves), but some are green.  Others are in between and some are speckled.

[SEVA]

More pics of plant #2.

[SEVA]

11 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Not sure on the first Id,  though the picture of the maturing fruit looks orchid-like for sure..   Second plant looks like  Gautheria procumbens, aka American Wintergreen / Teaberry.  Leaves look a bit different on some examples of the plant on the net, but looks pretty close, imo. Next time you see it, check to see if the leaves produce that distinct Wintergreen scent. 

I crushed a leaf and there was no wintergreen scent.  I have 2 varieties of wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) planted in the garden.  One produces red fruit and the other white.  Only the white-fruited one produced this year.  Here are 2 pics of the wintergreen to compare the fruits.  The mystery plant fruits almost look conjoined.  All the fruits I saw were like that.

[Silas_Sancona]

19 minutes ago, SEVA said:

I crushed a leaf and there was no wintergreen scent.  I have 2 varieties of wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) planted in the garden.  One produces red fruit and the other white.  Only the white-fruited one produced this year.  Here are 2 pics of the wintergreen to compare the fruits.  The mystery plant fruits almost look conjoined.  All the fruits I saw were like that.

Dug around a little more, only other thing I found that comes close is Mitchella repens, sometimes called Partridge Berry.  Fruit, in pictures I looked over, have that same odd conjoined look to them.  Supposedly edible but no real taste.. maybe a slight hint of Wintergreen.  

 

[SEVA]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Dug around a little more, only other thing I found that comes close is Mitchella repens, sometimes called Partridge Berry.  Fruit, in pictures I looked over, have that same odd conjoined look to them.  Supposedly edible but no real taste.. maybe a slight hint of Wintergreen.  

 

Thank you. That looks like it.  Did some researching and apparently it's in the family Rubiaceae, same as coffee and gardenia.  I'll have to keep an eye out for the flowers next year, since they're supposed to be fragrant.  In addition to the showy flowers and fruit, it's probably worth planting in the garden as an evergreen groundcover.

I'll have to keep an eye out for the orchid flowers next year as well.  I think it's the crane-fly orchid, but the leaves on most seem more purple than what I see online.  Online, they seem to only be purple on the leaf underside.

[Landon]

The first picture appears to be a Cranefly Orchid. I'm in Georgia and the leaves pop up in the fall and last thru the winter only to die back in the early summer. Flowers midsummer. 

[SEVA]

10 hours ago, Landon said:

The first picture appears to be a Cranefly Orchid. I'm in Georgia and the leaves pop up in the fall and last thru the winter only to die back in the early summer. Flowers midsummer. 

That's good to know.  I'm guessing the leaf color is variable? I saw more in VA beach that were completely green.  I guess this makes the 3rd orchid species I've found on the property.