Bayard’s malaxis

Plants 9.3–25.6 cm. Pseudobulbs 5–20 mm diam. Leaves 1(–2, rarely), near middle of stem; blade bright green, glossy, narrowly to broadly ovate, keeled abaxially, 1.7–3.8(–7) × 0.7–3.5(–4.3) cm, apex acute. Inflorescences racemes, 1–12 cm; floral bracts triangular, 0.9–1.6 mm; pedicels (3.8–)5–10(–13) mm. Flowers 10–70, resupinate, green or yellowish green; dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, 1.4–2 × 0.6–1 mm, apex acuminate; lateral sepals oblong-elliptic, 1.4–2 × 0.6–1 mm, apex acuminate; petals linear, slightly falcate, 1–1.8 × 0.1–0.2 mm; lip rhombic-deltate to cordate-ovate or oblong-elliptic, 1.8–2.5 × 1.9–2.5 mm, base with auricles 0.6 or more times as long as distance from base of lip to apex of middle lobe, apex 3-dentate; column 0.5–0.7 × 0.5–0.7 mm; pollinia yellow. Capsules spreading to slightly drooping, subglobose to ovoid, 6 × 3 mm.

Flowering summer. Dry, open woods, shale barrens and sandy pine barrens; of conservation concern; 10--600 m; N.S.; Conn., Mass., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Vt., Va., W.Va.