Sometimes the forest wanderer can find an unusually sturdy E. helleborine which has violet hues on stem and leaves. Then he has found the rare twin sister of this orchid, E. purpurata.

It's a beautiful orchid which can grow almost one meter high. The blossoms are similar to Epipactis helleborine and are pollinated mainly by wasps. The nectar of these species is rumoured to have an intoxicating effect on the insects.

Like E. helleborine, this orchid has an advanced mycorrhiza and it's very difficult to transplant rhizoms successfully. If the plants survive the first few years, they begin to multiply vegetatively.

A good place is a shaded bed under trees or bushes with lime in the soil. It likes more warmth and light than Epipactis helleborine.