RHH's photos with the keyword: western coralroot

The Western Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana, or Merten's Coralroot, is one of thirteen species found in North America, and one of four found here in Washington State. Of the four it is my favorite because it comes in all different colors, color combinations and patterns, some of which can be seen in the album in which this photo is found.

Also known as Merten's Coralroot, this species is found only in the Pacific Northwest but often found in abundance there. Like all the Coralroots it is leafless and without chlorophyll, often growing on dark forest floors. These were photographed on Fidalgo Island in the San Juan's while I was leading a group from the local orchid society to see some of the native orchids there. They were just beginning to bloom and are early like everything else this year. The place where these were photographed has only this dark purple form of the species and is the only place we ever found this form. The species comes in a rainbow of colors, white, pink, yellow, tan, but only there in this beautiful red-purple.

This is an example of the pale-stemmed form of the Western or Merten's Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana, but it would take many photos to show the endless color variation in this species. The stems range from dark purple, dark pink, and brown through pale pink, yellow, pale yellow, tan, off-white and white, and the lips and marking also vary. Some of these variations can be seen in the photos on the link below. The plant is mycoheterotrophic depending entirely for its nourishment on a soil fungus and is, therefore, without leaves or chlorophyll, and is one of four Coralroots here in the state of Washington, all of them leafless and without chlorophyll.

Here's another color form of the plant I last posted, a pale pink stem instead of yellow and brownish flowers with heavier purple markings on the lip. It is fun finding these every year and seeing what new color forms we can find. They are leafless and without chlorophyll and so the one color that cannot be found is green. As noted before, these are only stems with flowers, so there are no leaves either. The are 12-18 inches tall and grow on forest floors where there is often little or no light, which also makes photography difficult.

Like all the Coralroots, the Western Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana, is mycoheterotrophic, depending on a complex relationship with a soil fungus for its nourishment. It is without chlorophyll and without leaves and comes in a rainbow or colors, from reddish-purple to pink to off-white, tan and yellow and the flowers, too, are endlessly variable in color and spotting or lack thereof. This beautiful yellow was photographed on Whidbey Island earlier this year and the link below shows many other color forms photographed at the same time and later in the spring.

It's a bit confusing but we have both the Western Spotted Coralroot and the Western Coralroot here. This is the Western Coralroot or Merten's Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana, another mycoheterotrophic plant, without chlorophyll and without leaves. It was photographed at Goat Mountain in the North Cascades while hiking there with friends from Germany whom I took on an extended orchid hunting tour.

The Western Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana, is well named since it is found only in the far western United States and Canada and because its "roots" do look like a mass of coral when dug up. It is mycotrophic, living off decaying matter in the soil through a relationship with a fungus and is leafless and without chlorophyll. It is always a delight to find since it comes in an endless variety of colors, as the photos below show. The color form shown above is more or less typical, but many other color forms are shown below at the link I've posted. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/09/color-forms-of-western-coralroot.html

This is the pale form of the Western Coralroot photographed on a recent hike up Goat Mountain in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. I had gone to see another Coralroot, Corallorhiza trifida, the Early Coralroot, but knew that these were blooming near the beginning of the trail at a lower elevation and stopped to photograph them also. Note: we are still traveling and hiking today so my commenting will be delayed. Eleven states and 6000 miles in the past three weeks.

This was photographed on Whidbey Island near Deception Pass in the San Juan Islands. The Coralroots are saprophytes, leafless and without chlorophyll, relying on a symbiotic relation with a fungus for their sustenance. Because of this relationship they are impossible to cultivate.

Like the other Coralroots, this species, too, is mycotrophic, feeding off decaying material in the soil through a fungus. The plants are leafless and without chlorophyll and grow on dark forest floors where there is little other growth. This species is also very variable, the stems varying in color from pink to white to yellow to tan to purple and the flowers equally variable. Some of the color variation is visible in this clump both in stem color and in the markings of the lip. These were photographed in Deception Pass State Park. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2013/05/seventh-week-of-native-orchid-season.html

The is the Western Coralroot, but a very pale form. We found these at Lake Elizabeth several years ago, but discovered this past summer that someone had destroyed the site to make a campsite. Only a few stems were left back among the trees. The Coralroots are leafless and without chlorophyll and depend for nourishment on a fungus (they are mycotrophic). This species is very variable in color as the link below shows. The species is found only in thee far west but is very common throughout our area. Many different color forms can be seen here: nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/09/c...

Another of the orchids from our Greenwater hikes. This is the Western Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana, and the pale form of that species. It is aptly named the Western Coralroot since it is only found west of the Rocky Mountains. It is leafless and without chlorophyll but variable in color, the stems ranging from grayish-white though yellow, tan, brown, pink and reddish-purple, and the flowers also coming in a range of colors and color combinations. The link below shows many of these different color forms and the picture one of the darkest forms. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/09/c...