Spotted Coralroot

One of my favorite parts of the flora of shady forests are the achlorophyllous plants, such as coralroot (Corallorhyza sp.) and other plants that lack chlorophyll. Since they can't photosynthesize, they borrow nutrients from other organisms.  Coralroot gets nutrients from the soil by parasitizing the fungi in the forest floor.

Coralroot, like skunks, come in two species: spotted and striped (C. maculata and C. striata).   The flowers are borne in a raceme, with several flowers per stem.  Before they open, they look like purple asparagus, about a foot tall, sticking out of the duff.

Coralroot aren't an everyday sight in the woods, but often when you do see them, they'll grow in a dense little patch, each single stem sprouting from an underground coral-like rhizome.  The lack of green leaves cause the flowers to blend in to the leaf litter, but once you spot them, their peachy color and the interesting red and white patterns of the flowers distinguish them.

Coralroot are found in shady conifer forests of North America.  You can easily tell them from C. striata by the spots on the labellum.  In C. striata, all the petals have red and white stripes parallel to the long edge of the petal.  There is one more species, C. mertensiana, which has a striped labellum, too, but the pattern is less vibrant and distinct.

These photos of C. maculata were taken May 4, in the Middle Fork Albion River area, South of Mendocino, Ca.

Calypso Orchids

Calypso orchids, or fairyslippers, (Calypso bulbosa) are the most commonly seen Orchid around here. I saw a patch of about 100 of them along Little River Airport road, in a shady, mossy spot - the most I've seen in one area.

Orchidaceae is the plant family second in line for highest number of species (next to Asteraceae), and its species are found all over the world. The orchid family is most diverse in the tropics, where around 1/3 the world's species live. Here in this county we've got a pretty good couple o' handfuls, with about 2 dozen species. Six of the of those are rare species. Be conscious that calypso orchids, though not uncommon, are not capable of handling much disturbance, so they should be treated as though they were. Although the tuber like corms underground are said to be edible, its not advised they be foraged upon since it doesn't do the plant populations any good to root around in their substrate. And I've read they don't transplant well either.

These orchids are bent over backward to orient their one large modified petal (labellum) downward, as a platform for pollinators. Having one modified petal is characteristic of the Orchid family. And the sepals are petal look-alikes, making the flowers even more conspicuous.

Also characteristic of Orchids is their specialized relationships with their pollinators. Calypso orchids are pollinated by queen bumblebees. The insect is lured into exploring the flower by the hairs at the opening to the flower that look like anthers, and the forked structures that resemble nectaries. But they're deceived, as no nectar is produced by this flower.

These photos are from April 2.

PS: on the same day, I saw what could be the first rhododendron blooms. In the pygmy forest along Little River airport Road, the whole forest goes pink by Mid-may, but at the moment they're still bare - except for this one little bush with one inflorescence hiding behind the fence at the County Airport.