Striped Coralroot Corallorhiza striata plants in flower Scientific Name Family Name Corallorhiza striata var. striata Orchidaceae Orchid Family Did you know? These orchids are almost totally devoid of chlorophyll and are dependent on fungi infecting their roots to gather nutrients from the surrounding organic matter. The jointed, coral-shaped roots gives this group of orchids their name. The alternate name fever root comes from its use in herbal medicine to reduce fever. Photo credits: Don Leopold Summary Protection Endangered in New York State, not listed federally. This level of state protection means: listed species are those with: 1) 5 or fewer extant sites, or 2) fewer than 1,000 individuals, or 3) restricted to fewer than 4 U.S.G.S. 7 ½ minute topographical maps, or 4) species listed as endangered by U.S. Department of Interior. Rarity G5T5, S1 A global rarity rank of G5T5 means: Secure globally - Both the species as a whole and the subspecies/variety are common in the world; widespread and abundant (but may be rare in some parts of its range). A state rarity rank of S1 means: This plant is endangered/critically imperiled in New York because of extreme rarity (typically 5 or fewer populations or very few remaining NYNHP Conservation Guide - Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata)
individuals) or is extremely vulnerable to extirpation from New York due to biological factors. Conservation Status in New York Currently, there is only one known population and three historical populations. This plant has always been rare in New York. While this is one of the more showy coral-root species, limited surveys in wetland habitats and a short flowering period may indicate that this species is somewhat overlooked. Short-term Trends The population size of the one known occurrence has fluctuated between zero and 16 plants. This is a plant that seems to survive at very low levels and not much is known about how it responds to its environment. Since the population is fairly isolated we do not expect major changes in the population in the near future. Long-term Trends This orchid was only ever known from four locations in the state. The historical locations are vague enough that we don't know if they still survive and searching for it is very difficult. Therefore it is unknown at this time whether it has declined or increased in size. We don't expect a large increase in numbers over time. Conservation and Management Threats These plants are isolated but since they are the only occurrence in the state there is always a risk that researchers and photographers may trample plants while they are being studied and photographed. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Research Needs Visits to the population need to be limited so disturbance is minimized. Studies that determine what influences popualtion size would create a better understanding of this plant biology and may lead to management activities that will result in larger populations. We would also like to know how this plant responds to its environment and the best places to search in a large wetland environment. Habitat This orchid is limited to cedar swamps and possibly beech woods directly along Lake Ontario (New York Natural Heritage Program 2005). Coniferous, deciduous, and mixed woods, lakeshores, swamps (Flora of North America 2002). Woods (Gleason and Cronquist 1991). Coniferous and mixed woods and swamps, especially cedar thickets, often associated with limestone; also in beech-maple woods (Voss 1972). Calcareous or rich woods (Fernald 1970). NYNHP Conservation Guide - Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata) 2
Associated Ecological Communities Northern White Cedar Swamp A swamp that occurs on organic soils in cool, poorly drained depressions in central and northern New York, and along lakes and streams in the northern half of the state. These swamps are often spring-fed with continually saturated soils. Soils are often rich in calcium. The characteristic tree is northern white cedar, which makes up more than 30% of the canopy cover. Other Probable Associated Communities Beech-maple mesic forest Rich hemlock-hardwood peat swamp Associated Species Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) Goldthread (Coptis trifolia) American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra) White Wood-sorrel (Oxalis montana) Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) Identification Comments Coralroot is one of our most striking and beautiful orchids. It has an erect red to reddish purple, succulent stem with 3-4 slightly loose and paler sheaths around the base. The inflorescence is half the length of the plant and contains 10-25, dime-sized, drooping flowers with distinctive light pink, translucent petals with red striped veins. The red lip is tongue-shaped with three darker red veins. It droops down with the petals forming an umbrella above. Best Life Stage for Identifying This Species Flowers are really needed to properly identify this plant. Due to its rarity and typically small population size within New York, only photos should be taken. These photos show the entire plant with stem and close-ups of the flower, including something in the image to scale the size of the flowers and stem. The Best Time to See This orchid flowers late May to late June, although the peak blooming period seems to be mid-june. Surveys should be conducted during this flowering period. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata) 3
Vegetative Flowering Fruiting Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Similar Species The time of year you would expect to find Striped Coralroot in New York. The sepal and petal of Corallorhiza odontorhiza is smaller (3-7.5 mm) and not striped. This plant flowers late summer to fall. The lip of Corallorhiza trida and Corallorhiza maculata is 3-lobed or with a prominent lateral tooth on each margin. Conservation Comments Many references do not list any varieties. We recognize this variety to distinguish from var. vreelandii, a taxon mainly restricted to the western US. Taxonomy Kingdom Phylum Plantae Anthophyta Class Monocots (Monocotyledoneae) Order Orchidales Family Additional Common Names Fever Root Striped Coral-root Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Synonyms Corallorhiza macraei (A. Gray) Additional Resources Links New York Flora Atlas http://www.newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/plant.aspx?id=2028 USDA Plants Database http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=plant_profile.cgi&symbol=costs NatureServe Explorer http://natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/natureserve?searchname=corallorhiza+stri NYNHP Conservation Guide - Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata) 4
ATA Google Images http://images.google.com/images?q=corallorhiza+striata Flora of North America http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242102230 Best Identification Reference Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 2002. Flora of North America, North of Mexico. Volume 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford University Press, New York. 723 pp. References Fernald, M.L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. 8th edition. D. Van Nostrand, New York. 1632 pp. Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp. Holmgren, Noel. 1998. The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L. 1995. Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, and map unit tables. NatureServe. 2005. NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA New York Natural Heritage Program. 2010. Biotics database. New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, NY. Reschke, Carol. 1990. Ecological communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Latham, NY. 96 pp. plus xi. Voss, E.G. 1972. Michigan Flora, Part I. Gymnosperms and Monocots. Cranbrook Institute of Science Bulletin 55 and the University of Michigan Herbarium. Ann Arbor. 488 pp. Weldy, T. and D. Werier. 2010. New York flora atlas. [S.M. Landry, K.N. Campbell, and L.D. Mabe (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research http://www.fccdr.usf.edu/. University of South Florida http://www.usf.edu/]. New York Flora Association http://wwws.nyflora.org/, Albany, New York New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4757 Phone: (518) 402-8935 acris@nynhp.org This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Aug 18, 2017 This guide was authored by NYNHP Conservation Guide - Striped Coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata) 5