Share

Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Search native plant database:
Name:    
Family:    

Corallorhiza wisteriana (Spring coralroot)
Vick, Albert F. W.

Corallorhiza wisteriana Conrad

Spring coralroot, Early southern coral root, Spring coral root, Wister's coralroot, Yellow coral root

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

USDA Symbol: COWI5

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

The orchids of genus Corallorrhiza are among the few flowering plants that have no green color at any time, but support themselves, as mushrooms and toadstools do, on the dead remains of other plants in the soil. The stem is 15–18 inches tall, and the flowers are scattered along the top third. Flowers have 3 sepals and 3 petals, much alike; the lip is white, heavily spotted with purplish-brown, and curved sharply downward (248).

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow , Green , Purple , Brown
Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CO , DC , DE , FL , GA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MO , MS , MT , NC , NE , NJ , NM , OH , OK , OR , PA , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , WV , WY
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Weird-looking rootless plant, perhaps a fungus
August 23, 2008
While out it my backyard (i.e. the Black Hills of South Dakota), I spotted a weird-looking rootless plant (I think it may be a fungus) growing beneath the Ponderosa Pines. It was the only one in the a...
view the full question and answer

Bibliography

Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Corallorhiza wisteriana in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Corallorhiza wisteriana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Corallorhiza wisteriana

Metadata

Record Modified: 2012-05-22
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back