Taxon Summary

Listera cordata, commonly known as heart-leaved twayblade, is a perennial herb in the Orchidaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Bogs and fens, Lower montane coniferous forest, and North Coast coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 5 to 1370 meters. Listera cordata is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Listera cordata (L.) R. Br.
Common Name:	heart-leaved twayblade
Family:	Orchidaceae
Element Code:	PMORC1N060
USDA Plants Symbol:	LICO6
Synonyms/Other Names:	Listera cordata (L.) R. Br. var. nephrophylla (Rydb.) Hulten

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Feb-Jul	Feb-Jul
Elevation:	5-1370 (15-4495)
General Habitats:	Bogs and fens, Lower montane coniferous forest, North Coast coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM), Mendocino (MEN), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ah Pah Ridge (4112348), Arcata North (4012481), Arcata South (4012471), Bald Hills (4112328), Blake Mountain (4012355), Blocksburg (4012336), Blue Creek Mtn. (4112347), Blue Lake (4012388), Board Camp Mtn. (4012366), Briceland (4012318), Bridgeville (4012347), Broken Rib Mtn. (4112386), Bull Creek (4012431), Cant Hook Mtn. (4112368), Childs Hill (4112461), Crannell (4112411), Crescent City (4112472), Dinsmore (4012345), Dutchmans Knoll (3912356), Fern Canyon (4112441), Fields Landing (4012462), Fort Seward (4012326), Fortuna (4012452), French Camp Ridge (4112327), Garberville (4012317), Grouse Mtn. (4012376), Hales Grove (3912377), High Divide (4112481), Hiouchi (4112471), Holter Ridge (4112338), Hupa Mountain (4112317), Hyampom (4012354), Hydesville (4012451), Iaqua Buttes (4012368), Johnsons (4112337), Korbel (4012378), Larabee Valley (4012346), Lincoln Ridge (3912366), Lord-ellis Summit (4012387), Mad River Buttes (4012367), Maple Creek (4012377), McWhinney Creek (4012461), Mendocino (3912337), Miranda (4012327), Myers Flat (4012337), Northspur (3912345), Orick (4112431), Owl Creek (4012358), Panther Creek (4112318), Redcrest (4012348), Requa (4112451), Rodgers Peak (4112421), Scotia (4012441), Sister Rocks (4112462), Smith River (4112482), Taylor Peak (4012442), Trinidad (4112412), Weitchpec (4112326), Weott (4012338), Westport (3912367), Willow Creek (4012386), Yager Junction (4012357)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Easily overlooked. Threatened by grazing, logging, and road maintenance. Includes L. cordata var. nephrophylla. See Fremontia 17(3):26-27 (1989) and The Wild Orchids of California, p. 95-98 (1995) by R. Coleman for species accounts.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 12 November 2025].

Taxon Report

Listera cordata (L.) R. Br.

heart-leaved twayblade