Mertens' coralroot
Corallorhiza mertensiana Bong.
Corallorhiza mertensiana, known as Mertens' coralroot, is a species of coralroot orchid in the Orchidaceae family. It is native to the coniferous forests of northwestern North America, including regions such as Alaska, British Columbia, and California. The species was elevated to full species status in 1997 by Freudenstein, having previously been classified as a subspecies of Corallorhiza maculata.
Description
Corallorhiza mertensiana is a shade-tolerant orchid found in the coniferous forests of North America. It is distributed across several regions, including Alberta, British Columbia, the Aleutian Islands, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The plant is commonly referred to as Mertens' coralroot, as well as Pacific coralroot and Western coralroot. It was first described by Bongard in 1833 and is part of the Orchidaceae family. The species is characterized by its mycorrhizal relationship with fungi and lacks chlorophyll, relying on its fungal partners for nutrients.
Other common names
Pacific coralrootMertens' coralrootwestern coralroot
Distribution
Alberta · British Columbia · North America · Alaska · Aleutian Is. · California · Idaho · Montana · Oregon · Washington · Wyoming
Synonyms
Neottia mertensianaCorallorhiza maculata subsp. mertensianaCorallorhiza mertensiana f. albolabiaCorallorhiza mertensiana f. pallidaCorallorhiza purpureaCorallorhiza vancouveriana
