Broad-leaved helleborine is found growing in woodlands and scrub. The lower leaves of this orchid are broad and deeply veined at its base. Further up, the leaves are smaller. A single flower spike appears, flowering from July to September. The drooping flowers are green with a purple tinge in the centre. Some species of wasps and bees are drawn to the nectar of this plant. The flowers contain a kind of alcohol as result of a fungus, which these insects find irresistible. They keep coming back for more thus ensuring that the orchid is pollnated.