Corallorhiza maculata
| Corallorhiza maculata | |
|---|---|
| |
| Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Corallorhiza |
| Species: | C. maculata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Corallorhiza maculata | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Corallorhiza maculata, or spotted coralroot, is a North American coralroot orchid.[2] It has four varieties: C. maculata var. occidentalis (western spotted coralroot), C. maculata var. maculata (eastern spotted coralroot or summer coralroot), C. maculata var. mexicana, and C. maculata var. ozettensis. It is widespread through Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, St. Pierre & Miquelon, and much of the western and northern United States (though generally absent from the Great Plains and from the lowland parts of the Southeast). It grows mostly in montane woodlands.[3][4][5]
Description
[edit]
Corallorhiza maculata is a myco-heterotroph; it lacks chlorophyll and obtains energy by parasitizing the mycelium of fungi in the family Russulaceae.[6] 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 stems bear dark red scales and intricate orchid flowers.
Corallorhiza maculata 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 scalloped along its edges and 7–10 mm (9⁄32–13⁄32 in). In some varieties, the lip may be plain white without spots.
Uses
[edit]Several Native American groups historically used the orchid's stems dried and brewed as a tea for such maladies as colds, pneumonia, and skin irritation.
Corallorhiza maculata is also the topic of the poem On Going Unnoticed by Robert Frost.
References
[edit]- ^ "Corallorhiza maculata". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ Wiese, Karen (2013). Sierra Nevada Wildflowers (2nd ed.). p. 99.
- ^ "Corallorhiza maculata". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ "Corallorhiza maculata". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ Magrath, Lawrence K.; Freudenstein, John V. (2002). "Corallorhiza maculata". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ Lee Taylor D; TD Bruns (October 1999). "Population, habitat and genetic correlates of mycorrhizal specialization in the 'cheating' orchids corallorhiza maculata and C. mertensiana". Molecular Ecology. 8 (10): 1719–1732. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.1999.00760.x. PMID 10583834.
Further reading
[edit]- Taylor, D.L. & T.D. Bruns. (1997). Independent, specialized invasions of ectomycorrhizal mutualism by two nonphotosynthetic orchids. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA vol. 94 pp. 4510–4515.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Corallorhiza maculata at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Corallorhiza maculata at Wikispecies- Jepson Manual - Corallorhiza maculata
- Corallorhiza
- Parasitic plants
- Myco-heterotrophic orchids
- Orchids of Canada
- Orchids of Mexico
- Orchids of the United States
- Orchids of Guatemala
- Flora of the Western United States
- Flora of the Eastern United States
- Flora of the Northern United States
- Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
- Flora of California
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
- Plants described in 1817
- Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque