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Native Plant Database

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Corallorhiza striata (Hooded coralroot)
McAdoo, David R.

Corallorhiza striata Lindl.

Hooded coralroot, Striped coralroot, Bigelow's coral root, Macrae's coral root, Madder stripes

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

USDA Symbol: cost19

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A nearly leafless plant with several or many erect, reddish-purple stems bearing several or many reddish-striped, pale pinkish, bilaterally symmetrical flowers in a raceme.

Corallorhiza means coral root, though the root is actually a hard mass of rhizomes associated with a fungus that aids in absorbing nutrients from the humus on the forest floor. (Coral roots lack chlorophyll and thus get nourishment from organic material in the soil.) After producing flower stalks, the rhizomes may remain dormant for several years. The most attractive of several coral roots, this orchid can withstand cold but not heat and thus cannot be successfully cultivated south of its natural range.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

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

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red , Purple
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , CO , ID , MI , MN , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , NY , OR , SD , TX , UT , WA , WI , WY
Canada: NB , ON , QC
Native Distribution: Throughout West south to Mexico; in East, much of Canada south to New York and west to Dakotas and Nebraska; also in Texas.
Native Habitat: Deep, rich woods.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Soil pH: Alkaline (pH>7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Organic, Humus Enriched
Conditions Comments: It can withstand cold but not heat and cannot be successfully cultivated south of its natural range. (Niering)

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

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

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

Metadata

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

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