Nestled within the shade of mixed-pine forests, freckled orchid flowers unfurl as small clusters on crimson stems. Magenta-tipped flowers crowd a white lip mottled with bright plum-colored flecks. This is the lesser-known, native cousin to your orchid houseplant, called the spotted coralroot.
The name references the coral-like appearance of the plant’s bulb underground. Spotted coralroots are widely distributed throughout the United States in wooded areas up to 10,000 feet in elevation. They emerge yearly from the damp duff in the spring and summer, as a lone plant or a small purple-pink colony on the forest floor.
These forest orchids have adapted to succeed in extreme conditions. Unlike many other orchids, the coralroot is both self-pollinating and non-photosynthetic. Some refer to the plants as “stealing” from other organisms, as they “feed” entirely off fungi. The spotted coralroot has no leaves and no need to absorb sunlight. Through a parasitic relationship, this orchid obtains carbon and other nutrients from common mycorrhizal fungi found in forest soils.
Spotted coralroot prefers shaded, mixed conifer forests with little light and minimal plant cover. This purple-hued orchid brings a brilliant spot of color to shadowy forest floors.
This Earth Note was written by Danika Thiele and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
