Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii

We were puzzled when we came across some of these plants while botanizing the Yamnuska Valley, eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, on 2nd July. These tiny orchids were very pale and the "tongue" (?) of the flowers was more pointed than in the Striped Coralroot we were used to. The closest I can come to for an ID is Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii or Vreeland's Striped Coralroot. When I first saw these paler plants, I thought they were just dead/dying Striped Coralroot. This is what our "usual" Striped Coralroot looks like. farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4671681619_8c69deb97a_z.jpg