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What have I found?

wantonamara Z8 CenTex

9 years ago

I occasionally drop in here. Really I should come more often since I am mostly interested in the Natives of Central Texas and arid and aridISH areas.
I was getting ready to clear out some Mountain ash Juniper and while I was cutting away some barbwire yesterday evening, I found this cutie. I wish I had seen it when it was in bloom. It looks like I just missed the bloom but maybe this is what it does. It is peculiar to say the least . There seems to be NO rosette, only this peculiar segmented flesh colored and banded stem. Wether this is the color of the stem or its wilting color, I don't know. I have never seen this on my land in 12 years. We used to have cows and there was A LOT that I didn't see that they saw first. The land is ever so slowly getting better. I have thrown some dead branches around it so the wild boars and deer don't chow on it.

I would be overjoyed if I had a name for it? I would love to learn more about it.

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Comments (6)

MKull
9 years ago
Looks like a coralroot orchid to me. Try looking up Hexalectris Nitida and go from there. Having no rosette/leaves sure fits the bill as myco-heterotrophy (gets it food from fungi)
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author
9 years ago
LOL, I just came back to say I FOUND IT. and you have the same answer! So I am not crazy. I found a rare orchid on my land. How cool is that. Shiny Coralroot , Glass Mountain Coralroot are some of its names.There is a spent bloom stalk that is a dead ringer (excuse the pun).

It is not far from where I built my house and it is where they dumped the soil that they had to dig to level for the house. This either got missed by two feet, OR I covered up a huge patch with the 2'high pile of dirt and this is all that wasn't covered.. I choose to think that I am lucky and missed it.SO I guess that I should not collect the seeds and try to sprout it. HMMMM> Maybe I should call the NPSOT and ask them what to do. What is correct? I never had an honest to god rare plant before. It is more common here than in New Mexico. What I read is that it disappears for years at a time, so Might never ever see it really bloom. They found it in NM at carlsbad Caverns park and in Guadalupe national Park in '77 and haven't seen it since.
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WoodsTea 6a MO
9 years ago
Way cool, thanks for sharing. Looks almost extraterrestrial.
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
9 years ago
mara, did you do anything about that orchid?
Rina
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author
9 years ago
Not yet. Kind of scared to. I have also been so busy with my job that I can barely think Orchids are not anything that I have fooled, with especially odd non chlorophyll orchids. I have also heard that they are extremely slow growers.They might have better luck with me not messing with them.
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
9 years ago
mara, thank you for answering...I have found some orchids (native) on my property recently, most are in area that is supposed to be built on....I read that it's difficult to transplant them. But I hate to see them destroyed - so trying to get any info about saving/relocating them.

Rina

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