Corallorhiza striata var. striata

These Striped Coralroots are finished blooming now except at higher elevations, but are one of our favorite native orchids, and one we always look for when in bloom. They have the largest and most beautiful flowers of all the Coralroots in our area and are also more difficult to find than many of the others.

This photo was taken in Larrabee State Park on the coast and on a rainy day. We found a lot of Striped Coralroots there this year, perhaps due to the late, cold and wet spring. Larrabee is in the Chuckanut Mountains and is a wonderful place both for its wildflowers and for its tide pools.

The Coralroots are mycotropic plants, without leaves (which makes them hard to find when not in bloom) and without chlorophyll, deriving their nourishment from the soil through a relationship with a fungus (funny thing with which to have a relationship, but that's the way it is). Interesting plants!

More photos and text here: nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/05/s...