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Corallorhiza
Also called Coralroots, Coral Roots
Corallorhiza, the coralroot, is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family. Except for the circumboreal C. trifida, the genus is restricted to North America (including Mexico, Central America and the West Indies).
Most species are putatively parasitic, relying entirely upon mycorrhizal fungi within their coral-shaped rhizomes for sustenance. Because of this dependence on myco-heterotrophy, they have never been successfully cultivated. Most species are leafless and rootless. Most species produce little or no chlorophyll, and do not utilize photosynthesis. An exception is the yellowish green species Corallorhiza trifida, which has some chlorophyll and is able to fix CO2. However, this species also depends primarily on fungal associations for carbon acquisition.
Bentley's coralroot · Corallorhiza ekmanii · Spotted coralroot · Pacific coralroot · Autumn coralroot · Striped coralroot · Yellow coralroot · Spring coralroot
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Corallorhiza by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
