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The Flora of Mount Shasta

Spotted Coralroot

Orchid Family (Orchidaceae) Corallorhiza maculata
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Spotted Coralroot © 2001 Ken and Leona Beatty

Flower: Orange, yellow to reddish brown; many on raceme; lower white lip is spotted

Blooms: May to June

Leaves: Several bracts but no leaves

Height: 1/2 to 2 feet

Stem: Reddish-brown color

Found: Moist woods and decaying organic matter

Tidbits: Coralroot is a saprophyte (a plant lacking chlorophyll-it must obtain nutrients from organic matter in the soil). The rhizome of the orchid has been used as a sedative. The Paiute and Shoshone tribes of Nevada used the dried stem to make tea with which to build up blood in pneumonia patients.

 

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