Corallorhiza wisteriana Conrad

Spring Coral Root; Wister's Coral Root

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Spring Coral Root is a native perennial in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. Spring Coral Root occurs in rich, moist to dry hardwood forests. It is a perennial from a coral-like branching rhizome. There are no persistent above ground parts. Red-purple to yellow-brown flowering stems are produced singly or in clusters. The flowering stems are from a few inches to over a foot in height. Flowers are produced in racemes. Each flowering stalk has from 2-25 small flowers. The sepals and upper petals are reddish-bronze in color and form an arching hood over the lip petal. The lip petal is white with spots of purple. The fruit is a capsule filled with many small dust-like seed. Spring Coral Root is mycoheterotrophic, lacking in chlorophyll and obtaining its nutrients from fungi in the soil. Spring Coral Root is listed as an S2 species in Alabama (typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable), and like all native orchids should not be picked or dug. Spring Coral Root is an inconspicuous early spring flowering species. Its small size and cryptic coloration make it difficult to spot. The plant may be abundant at a particular site in one year and then be rare or completely absent from the same site for several years in a row.--A. Diamond

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Native S2 (State Rank) G5 (Global Rank)

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