Flowering stem: single, erect, hairless, somewhat fleshy, light brownish purple to yellowish, lacking leaves, but with a few, closed, tubular sheaths. This leafless structure terminated by flowers is called a scape and technically is not a true stem. Inflorescences: racemes dense to lax, 10-65 × 1.5-6.5 cm. Flowers 6-41, conspicuous; perianth open; sepals directed forward to somewhat spreading, brown, tan, red, or yellow, often darker distally, lanceolate, 3-veined, 4.7-15 mm; petals frequently curved toward column, nearly adhering to it, tan to yellowish, often red distally, usually spotted with purple, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4.5-11.5 mm; lip white, usually spotted with purple, obovate to elliptic, thin, lateral lobes 2, rounded, middle lobe oblong to broadly dilated toward apex, with 2 distinct basal lamellae, 4-9 × 1.5-6 mm; column whitish yellow, spotted with purple, usually curved, 3.3-7.8 mm, basally with ridges or poorly developed auricles; ovary 5-14 mm; mentum obscure, adnate to edge of ovary. Fruit: several, stalked, drooping, 0.9 - 2.4 cm long, 0.5 - 0.9 cm wide, ellipsoid capsules with three lengthwise ridges, and remnant floral parts at apex. Root system: lacking true roots, but with multiple-branched, coral-like rhizomes. Several color forms exist in Corallorhiza maculata, often occurring in proximity and sometimes forming large clumps.

Santa Catalina Mountains.
Location: Marshall Gulch, 30 feet up slope alongside road.
5/21/16


Notes: Sunset Trail 5/25/17

See SEINet Pictures and Description