Definition

Noun 1. A species of leafless orchid: Corallorhiza trifida is a small, perennial, terrestrial orchid. It is characterized by its nearly leafless, pale yellowish to greenish stems and small, similarly colored flowers with a distinctive white lower lip (labellum). It is a mycoheterotrophic plant, meaning it lacks chlorophyll and obtains nutrients from fungi associated with tree roots.

Examples of Usage

• The , or early coralroot, is one of the first orchids to bloom in the northern forests.
• Botanists identified a small patch of growing under the spruce trees.
• Unlike most plants, does not rely on photosynthesis for energy.

Advanced Usage

• In botanical classification: The name is used in its full binomial form () to specify the exact species within the genus .
  • The study compared the mycorrhizal associations of Corallorhiza trifida with those of Corallorhiza striata.

Variants and Related Words

• Early coralroot: The common name for .
• Coralroot: The common name for plants in the genus .
• Mycoheterotroph: A term describing its ecological strategy of obtaining nutrients from fungi.

Synonyms

• Early coralroot
• Northern coralroot
• Yellow coralroot (though this can refer to other species)

Related Terms (Contextual)

• Orchid: The family (Orchidaceae) to which it belongs.
• Saprophyte: A term sometimes incorrectly used for it; is more accurate.
• Labellum: The specialized petal (the white lower lip) typical of orchid flowers.

Noun

1. plant having clumps of nearly leafless pale yellowish to greenish stems bearing similarly colored flowers with white lower lips; northern New Mexico north through South Dakota and Washington to Alaska