north american native orchid journal - at The Culture Sheet

Brown & Folsom: WILD ORCHIDS OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE
Corallorhiza trifida Chatelain
early coralroot
forma verna (Nuttall) P.M. Brown—yellow stemmed/white lipped form
Range: Alaska east to Newfoundland, south to California, northern
New Mexico, and in scattered localities to West Virginia
In the White Mountains region: occasional to local
Plant: terrestrial, mycotrophic, 5-30 cm tall; stems yellow to yellowgreen
in the south to bronze in the far north
Leaves: none
Flowers: 8-15; tepals yellow-green to bronze, occasionally spotted with
purple in plants of the far north, wide-spreading; lip white, often
spotted with purple, especially in highly colored northern individuals;
mentum inconspicuous; individual flowers 0.5-1.0 cm
Habitat: rich mesic and mixed forests
Flowering period: late May to July
Although smaller than many of the other coralroots in our area, the
bright greenish-yellow stems of the early coralroot stand out among the
forest companions. In the northernmost areas plants grow out in the open
barrens and tundra and tend to blend in a bit more. Coloration can vary
some in that the plants of open exposed areas are often suffused with bronze
and the floral parts with purple spots. The plants more common in the
southern portion of the range with pure white
lips were designated as variety verna by Nuttall
nearly 200 years ago, but that variation is better
treated as a form.
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Fording a
wild stream or
traversing a shaky
suspension bridge to
find these orchids takes real
dedication of the orchid enthusiast.
The reward is finding the plants or
finding something
unexpected
on the journey
like the Corallorhiza
in a damp
glen along the
road.