Coralroot orchid
Corallorhiza trifida
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Higher Epidendroideae Tribe: Maxillarieae Subtribe: Corallorhizinae Genus: Corallorhiza Gagnebin
Species
Corallorhiza bulbosa Corallorhiza ekmanii Corallorhiza macrantha Corallorhiza maculata Corallorhiza mertensiana Corallorhiza odontorhiza Corallorhiza striata Corallorhiza trifida Corallorhiza wisteriana
Synonyms
Corallorrhiza Gagnebin, orth. var.

Corallorhiza, the coralroot orchids, is a genus of flowers in the orchid family. Species are leafless, relying entirely upon symbiotic fungi within their coral-shaped roots for sustenance.

They do not produce chlorophyll, and do not depend on photosynthesis for energy. Also, because of their dependence on myco-heterotrophy within their mycorrhizae, they cannot be successfully cultivated.

Except for the circumboreal C. trifida, the genus is restricted to the New World.

Gallery

C. maculata

C. mertensiana

See also

• Neottia
• Pterospora

References

Freudenstein, J.V., A Monograph of Corallorhiza. Harvard Papers in Botany 10:5-51, 1997

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