st-bruno-spotted-coral-root-eastern-5-au g-2020-collage

This is Eastern spotted coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata/ Corallorhize maculée) with closer views of the face and side of the flower. It is a wild orchid that blooms in the shade of the forest floor. Growing with so little light it has forgone photosynthesis and lacks chlorophyll. It survives entirely by parasitizing soil fungi. The subterranean part of the plant is a bulbous mass that is said to resemble a coral (hence the name). The only time the plant shows above ground is to send up a stem carrying small flowers, that are difficult to appreciate without a close look. Despite their small size the flowers are beautifully engineered for pollination.