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Hexalectris warnockii

Hexalectris warnockii Ames & Correll

Texas Crested Coralroot, Texas Purple Spike, Texas Crested Coral Root

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: hewa

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The orchids of genus Hexalectris are achlorophyllous and are mycoheterotrophic; that is, they utilize Sebacinoid ectomycorrhizal fungi to obtain nutrients from the roots of autotrophic plants.

Slender, nearly leafless, reddish-brown stems with up to 10 mostly reddish-brown, bilaterally symmetrical flowers in a loose raceme.

This is the most common Hexalectris species in Big Bend National Park. There are four other species in the Southwest, all also found in the park; all have yellowish or reddish stems. Crested Coralroot (H. spicata), found from southeastern Arizona to the eastern United States, has yellowish-brown sepals, petals with darker veins, and a yellowish or white lip petal with purple veins.