Corallorhiza striata var. striata

The Coralroots are odd plants. They are without chlorophyll and without leaves and are mycotrophic, obtaining their nutrients from decaying plant materials through a relationship with a fungus. They get their name from the coral-like mass which serves them for roots. We have four species of Coralroots in the Pacific Northwest and this species, the Striped Coralroot, has the largest and showiest flowers. I was out for a little while today looking for them and found quite a few, though this plant was photographed last week. They are odd, too, in their flowering habits. In areas where I had found a lot of them last year I found few or none this year, but also found them in places where I had not seen them before. This species is quite variable in color, the flowers ranging from nearly white through tan to pink. There are pictures of other color forms at the blog post below.