Corallorhiza trifida

Northern coralroot

Family: Orchidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Northern coralroot is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in Plumas County, inhabiting wet, open to shaded conifer forests at elevations of 1,400 to 1,700 meters. Flowering in July, this orchid produces white or pale yellow flowers with white or red-spotted lips, approximately 3 to 4.5 millimeters long. Growing 8 to 30 centimeters tall with a slightly green stem, it emerges delicately in forest understories. Its flowers feature distinctive curved lower sepals with minute mentum and lateral petals that are sepal-like, creating an intricate and subtle woodland bloom. The small orchid's fruit ranges from 8 to 14 millimeters in length, contributing to its delicate woodland presence.

Habitat: Wet, open to shaded, generally conifer forest

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: 1400-1700 m

Bioregions: n SNH (Plumas Co.)

California counties: Plumas

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.