Day 230: Yet another of western Washington's native Orchids, Western Coralroot (Corallorhiza mertensiana) is the most frequently seen of the four Coralroots known to occur in Mount Rainier National Park. Its petals are marked with red or magenta stripes, and the lower petal has a spur at the base, unlike either C. maculata or C. striata. Stems may reach as much as 18 inches in height. The plant is an obligate mycoheterotroph, i.e., it has no leaves and contains no chlorophyll, and relies on a fungus to break down soil into usable nutrients. A flower dainty enough to grace a faerie's evening dress as this "Penny Perspective" demonstrates, Western Coralroot prefers the shady, "sun-fleck" forest which constitutes much of the Park's lower elevations.
Impressed with all your blogs and especially with this one. I have difficult keeping up with three blogs and a few posts each month. Be interested in knowing if you ever find the yellow and white form of mertensiana. Have only seen it once.
ReplyDeleteOh, trust me! If I find C. striata or any unusual C. mertensianas, this will be the first place I announce them. I have had a reliable report of greenish mertensianas observed previously in the location where these photos were taken. I am monitoring it weekly.
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