Native Plants

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Cressler, Alan

Corallorhiza wisteriana

Corallorhiza wisteriana Conrad

Spring Coral-root, Spring Coral Root, Early Southern Coral-root, Wister's Coral-root, Yellow Coral-root, Arousing Coral-root, Spring Coralroot

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

Synonym(s): Corallorrhiza wisteriana

USDA Symbol: cowi5

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The orchids of genus Corallorhiza have no chlorophyll and are mycoheterotrophic; that is, they utilize fungi to parasitize the roots of other plants. The stem is 15-20+ 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

6 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 20 inches tall.

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

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

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	UPL		FAC		FAC	FACU		FACU	FACU	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Bibliography

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

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Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

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: 2023-04-24
Research By: TWC Staff

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