Corallorrhiza trifida - Coralroot Orchid - (Orchidaceae)

This orchid is now extremely rare in the UK... or is it just almost impossible to find it? It is one of those flowers that requires 'getting one's eye in' in order to find; in this respect it is rather like the bog orchid, Hammarbya paludosa. The coralroot orchid is also very difficult to photograph because it is tiny (between 7 cm and 30cm tall but usually erring on the 7cm side!) and it frequently occurs in very dark, forest locations.

Corallorhiza trifida - coralroot orchid

The Coralroot Orchid in a dark forest setting

The name coralroot refers to the roots of this plant, which are said to resemble coral - not that we have dug one up to prove the point. It occurs in a range of habitats from dark forest (where we found this one) to dune slacks and open tundra. Although it produces some chlorophyl (hence some plants are greenish, although many are purple-brown), this orchid is largely saprophytic, depending mainly for its food on the mycorrhizal fungi surrounding its roots. Coralroot is usually self-pollinating.

One of the best chances of finding this rare orchid in the UK is at Sandscale Haws National Nature Reserve in the Lake District.

Corallorhiza trifida can be found widely throughout Europe, and we have seen many flowers in Slovenia. It also occurs in North America. The specimen above was photographed in a forest in the Rhodopi Mountains of Bulgaria in mid June.