RHH's photos with the keyword: saprophytic

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 another one of our native Coralroots, a genus of plants that are almost entirely without leaves or chlorophyll. They are referred to as mycotrophic, which means that live in a symbiotic relationship with a fungus and through the fungus obtain nourishment from decaying material in the soil. These plants often grow on the darkest forest floors where nothing else is growing except the trees which form the canopy above. There they grow among a litter of old branches and decaying logs, and the lighter colored forms stand out vividly in the dark. This species, known as the Western Coralroot, is extremely variable in color, the stems and flowers parts ranging from this deep reddish-purple to pale lavender, yellow and off-white. These plants, photographed in Washington Park, are some of the darkest colored examples I've seen. They are quite common and we see them this time of the year on many of our hikes, but you would have to come out our way to see them, since they grow only out west. You'd have to experience our weather, too. This was taken on a wet and windy day that made photography very difficult. More photos here: ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/05/spring-in-w... nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/05/f...