Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis fma. immaculata

I'll be posting a miscellany of photos this week from different hikes and excursions, mostly native orchids and other wildflowers. I'll not be publishing locations, however, especially of the native orchids, since I have all too often revisited a site only to find that the orchids have been dug up, and I do not want in any way to be responsible for the loss of these treasures.

This is a rare unspotted and uncolored form of the Western Spotted Coralroot, the normal form of which is shown below. Botanically it is known as Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis fma. immaculata. I was shown these by a friend who found them, two spikes of this form in a location where hundreds of the normal form were to found.

The botanical name translates something like this, "Coralroot spotted variety western form unspotted." There is also a rare yellow stemmed form but the flowers are spotted. We found that form last summer in southern Washington and I'll post a picture of it this week. Which is more unusual or more beautiful I am unable to judge.

nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2013/05/f...