XSpotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata)X
Click/Tap a thumbnail image to see its larger image with informational details.
-
Spotted Coralroot -or- Western Coralroot -or- Summer Coralroot -or- Coralroot Orchid (Corallorhiza maculata), family Orchidaceae (Orchid)
We finally found the plants in bloom!! Nudging up to two years ago we saw a strange bulbous red plant on a hike that intrigued us greatly. Ann Henson from the Colorado Native Plant Society gave us the identity. Flower finally meets fruit two years later. These daintly little blooms complete the picture. The Orchid family is huge, having the most species in it, although the genus Corallorhiza has only 7 members. This species is not always abundant in the huge territory where it is found. In Arizona the plants are restricted from salvage. They are classed as endangered in Kentucky, threatened in Illinois, Iowa, AND Tennessee. New York calls the species Exploitably Vulnerable, and finally in Rhode Island they are of special concern. The species is native to North America. There are 3 varieties of maculata: var. maculata, var. occidentalis, and var. ozettensis.
USES: From the Colorado State University Extension website (excllent site) are the following uses: 'an infusion of the plant has been used as a lotion in the treatment of ringworm and skin diseases; an infusion of the dried, whole plant bits has been used in the treatment of colds; a decoction of the stalks has been used to 'build up the blood' of people suffering from pneumonia.'
TECHNICAL: 'This plant lacks chlorophyll and gets its nourishment from fungi in its coral-like underground stem; the orchid family has the greatest number of species of all the plant families and contains more rare and endangered species than any other family; this family has sensitive pollination mechanisms that are specific to individual pollinators; the extinction of a specific pollinator means extinction for an orchid species; pollen is aggregated into 2 sticky bags (pollinia) that must be transmitted whole by an insect from one flower to another; germination depends on the presence of symbiotic fungus species.' End quote Colo Univeristy Extension.
Flower -
Plant location: Found whike hiking the Lodgepole Loop trail in Meyer Open Space - Colorado - on May 16, 2010. GPS coordinates: N39?32.502 W105?16.847 - Elevation: 8010' Found in most of the United States: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.Plant -
Bloom season: May through August. The plants have very little if any discernible foliage. This is a shot of the original plant we saw that was already in the fruit stage. Habitats (from Plants For a Future) include - On leaf mold in woods. Moist to dry coniferous and deciduous woods, and conifer plantations, often in florests with little other herbaceous cover.Foliage -
THANK YOU Ann Henson! She said: 'These are the stems and seed capsules of the orchid- coralroot (probably spotted)- Corallorhiza maculata. The inferior ovary which became the seed capsule is the dominant feature in the pic but you can still see the old flower dried at the tip.' End quote. Wikipedia has this: 'Corallorhiza maculata, or spotted coralroot, is a North American coralroot orchid flower. Varieties are also known as western coralroot and summer coralroot. It is found from Mexico to Canada, mostly in
woodlands. This orchid is a myco-heterotroph; it lacks chlorophyll and gets food by parasitizing the mycelium of fungi in the family Russulaceae. The rhizome and lower stem are often knotted into branched coral shapes. The stem is usually red or brown in color, but occasionally comes in a light yellow or cream color. There are no leaves and no photosynthetic green tissues. The stalklike stems bear dark red scales and intricate orchid flowers. The flowers are small and emerge regularly from all sides of the stem. The sepals are dark red or brown tinged with purple, long and pointed. The side petals are reddish, and the lip petal is bright clean white with deep red spots. It is usually lobed or toothed on the side and 7-10 mm. In some varieties, the lip is plain white without spots.
USES: Several Native American groups historically used the stems dried and brewed as a tea for such maladies as colds, pneumonia, and skin irritation.' End quote.
These seed capsules were on the Hessie Trail near Eldora on a hike to Lost Lake in Colorado. August 17, 2008 -
Lodgepole Loop hike - Meyer Open Space - Colorado - on May 16, 2010 -
Meyer Open Space - Colorado - on May 16, 2010 -
-
Lodgepole Loop hike - Meyer Open Space - Colorado - on May 16, 2010 -
-
Lodgepole Loop hike - Meyer Open Space - Colorado - on May 16, 2010 -
-
Lodgepole Loop hike - Meyer Open Space - Colorado - on May 16, 2010 -