Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Plants without chlorophyll, glabrous; from coral-like rhizomes. Stems yellow to reddish purple, simple, not bulbous-based; sheathing bracts 2-4.
- Leaves
- Absent
- Inflorescence
- Terminal racemes, lax, 2-25-flowered; bracts lanceolate to triangular, .04 to .12 inch long, .01 to .04 inch wide, apex acute.
- Flower
- Pedicels .04 to .12 inch; flowers purplish brown or yellow, often green distally, perianth open; sepals and petals connivent and forming hood over column; sepals 3, lanceolate; lateral sepals curved upward and forward, .18 to .4 inch; petals 3, broadly lanceolate, .16 to .28 inch; lower petal modified as lip that is different from other petals; lip white, often purple-spotted, ovate to round, margins erose-denticulate to nearly entire, tip purple.
- Fruit
- Capsules, ellipsoid to obovoid, .25 to .5 inch, pendent; seeds numerous.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Moist, often rocky, oak-hickory forests and woodlands
- Distribution
- East 1/3 of Kansas
Additional Notes
Comments
Corallorhiza, coral + root, alludes to the coral-like rhizomes. wisteriana, is for Caspar Wistar, American physician and author. Orchidaceae is one of the largest families of flowering plants. Orchid seeds are dust-like and dispersed by wind. They contain no endosperm, so nutrients provided by a mycorrhizal fungus are required for germination.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Orchidaceae - Orchid Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 4-18 inches
- Last Updated
- 2016-05-01
Color Groups
Blue, Purple, Lavender & Violet Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: April, May