Corallorhiza trifida

The Early Coralroot, Corallorhiza trifida, is well-named.  At lower elevations it is the earliest of the Coralroots to bloom, but at the location we visit each year it is growing at a very high elevation and though blooming soon after snowmelt, is still quite late in the season.  It is a rather inconspicuous species, standing only six to eight inches (15-20 cm) tall and a pale yellow-green color with flowers the same color.

June 18

(North Cascades)

June 25

(North Cascades)

Spiranthes porrifolia

Spiranthes porrifolia, the Western Ladies'-tresses, is one of three Spiranthes in Washington.  It is more abundant in Oregon and California, but is known from only one location in Washington.  We visited that location this summer with friends from Germany and found it growing where expected, but only a very few plants where in previous years we had found as many as sixty or seventy plants.  The location was very hot and dry this summer, more so than usual and earlier than usual and that may account for the lack of plants.  This species is taller than our more common Hooded Ladies-tresses, Spiranthes romanzoffiana, and has flowers that are more tubular and more cream-colored than that species.

June 23

Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii

Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii, Vreeland's Striped Coralroot, is a small-flowered variety of the more common variety striata.  In fact, its flowers are not only smaller but they are not as brightly colored - usually a tan or light yellow though with the same striping on the lip and other flowers segments.  In our experience it is not very easy to tell the two varieties apart as they seem to shade into each other, but we have found what we are sure is this variety in several locations in the Columbia River gorge.

June 12

June 23

Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata fma. rubra

This is the red-stemmed form of the Spotted Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata fma. rubra.  The stems in this variety can be a pinkish tan, red, yellow or brown and some of these color forms are named, but these are a dark reddish-pink or reddish-purple.  It has very tiny flowers and in the locations where we find it is often the only color form to be found.

Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata fma. aurea

The Spotted Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata is the later blooming variety of two in our area.  It is distinguished not only by its later bloom season but by the side lobes of the lip which are more or less parallel rather than being rounded.  Like many of the Coralroots it is variable in color and this is a yellow-stemmed variety which is unnamed but which I've chosen to call Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata fma. aurea.  We have only ever found it in one location where it grows in abundance.

 June 12

June 23