Corallorhiza maculata Rafinesque 1817

Corallorhiza maculata was coined by Rafinesque (1817) who discovered it on Long-Island, New York state. The whole plant is yellowish and reaches a height of approx. 30 cm. He notes that species of Corallorhiza are distinguished from Cymbidium by having the branched shape of the fleshy roots and the pedunculated flowers without bracteas. Rafinesque (1917) furthermore mentioned Cladorhiza maculata as a possibility before. This species grows regularly in mountainous woodlands of North America (POWO 2021). The flowers of this species are facultative autogamous and its one of the most frequently encountered Corallorhiza species in North America, paralleling the situation of C. triffida in Europe. The variation of smaller morphological or slight colour variation lead to many proposals of new species and varieties (WCSP 2021). Two accepted variations are further presented on this website. Many proposals like C. grabhamii and C. leimbachiana were based on only a few individuals rejecting intraspecific variations.