Jepson Herbarium
		University of California, Berkeley

Directory       News       Site Map       Home

Indexes to all accepted names and synonyms: | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

Perennial, terrestrial [growing on other plants], non-green (nutrition from association of roots with fungi) or green, generally from rhizomes or tubers with few to many fleshy to slender roots; cauline leaves ± reduced to sheathing stem bracts or not.
Leaf: 1–many, basal to cauline, linear to ± round, alternate to opposite (if only 1 pair), generally sessile.
Inflorescence: flowers 1–many, spike or raceme, bracted.
Flower: bisexual, bilateral, in bud generally rotating 180° by twisting ovary (position of parts indicated after twisting); sepals generally 3, generally free, generally petal-like, uppermost generally erect, lateral with chin- or spur-like projection (mentum) or not; petals 3, 1 ( lip) different, spurred or not; stamens generally 1 (3 in Cypripedium, 2 functional, 1 a staminode), fused with style, stigma into column, pollen generally lumped, generally removed as unit by insect; ovary inferior, 1-chambered, placentas 3, parietal, stigma 3 lobed, generally under column tip.
Fruit: capsule.
Seed: many, minute.
± 800 genera, ± 25000 species: especially tropics (worldwide except Antarctica). Many cultivated for ornamental, especially Cattleya, Cymbidium, Epidendrum, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum; Vanilla planifolia Andrews fruits used to flavor food. [Romero-Gonzalez et al. 2002 FNANM 26:490–651] —Scientific Editors: Ronald A. Coleman, Thomas J. Rosatti.
Unabridged references: [Luer 1975 Orchids US and Can, NY Bot Garden; Coleman 1995 Wild Orchids of California. Cornell Univ.]

Key to Orchidaceae

Plant ± scapose, brown, tan, ± pink, ± red, ± purple, (± green); rhizome branches many, short, scaly, together coral-like.
Leaf: at flower 0.
Inflorescence: raceme; flower bract << flower, often scale-like.
Flower: sepals ± alike, oblong to (ob) lanceolate, generally curved over column and lip, generally 3-veined, lower generally fused at base, mentum present or not; lateral petals spreading or curved toward lip, lip not spurred, entire to 3-lobed, spreading to reflexed; column generally convex adaxially, concave abaxially, curved over lip.
Fruit: pendent.
11 species: North America, C.Am, Eurasia. (Greek: coral root)

Plant 17–55 cm.
Stem: red to yellow-brown to yellow.
Flower: sepals 5.5–10 mm, lower spreading, color generally same as stems, mentum < 2.5 mm; lateral petals generally like sepals, yellow-brown or deep pink to red, dark-spotted or not, lip 5–7 mm, with 2 rounded lobes laterally, white, unspotted or generally red- to purple-spotted, tip crenate or toothed; column 3–5 mm, ± yellow, purple-spotted.
Fruit: 15–20 mm.
2n=42. Where together, Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis typically flowers 2–4 weeks earlier than Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata. [Online Interchange]
Unabridged note: There are Consortium records that, if verified, would voucher elevations up to 2927 m.

Inflorescence: flower bracts generally 1–2.8 mm, often forked.
Flower: lip widening to tip.
Shaded mixed-evergreen or conifer forest, in decomposing leaf litter; < 2800 m. Northwestern California, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada (except Tehachapi Mountain Area), San Francisco Bay Area, Outer South Coast Ranges, San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, Modoc Plateau, White and Inyo Mountains;

Previous taxon: Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata
Next taxon: Corallorhiza mertensiana

Contact/Feedback

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

Copyright © 2012 Regents of the University of California
We encourage links to these pages, but the content may not be downloaded for reposting, repackaging, redistributing, or sale in any form, without written permission from The Jepson Herbarium.

Bioregions in which taxon occurs	Red area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon; markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may have georeferencing or identification issues.
Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.	Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. View all CCH records   CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa. Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.