General: Perennial, saprophytic herb from coral-like rhizomes; stems (15) 20-55 cm tall, red to yellow-brown, smooth.
Leaves: Bractlike and sheathing.
Flowers: Inflorescence a terminal raceme of 10 to 40 short-stalked, erect to spreading and ultimately bent back flowers, the bracts scalelike; sepals usually the same colour as stem, oblong to lanceolate, 5.5-10 mm long, the lower spreading; lateral petals deep pink to red, sometimes dark-spotted; lip 5-7 mm long, white, red- to purple-spotted, base with 2 lateral lobes, larger terminal lobe irregularly fine-toothed; spur less than 2.5 mm long; column 3-5 mm long, curved over lip, yellowish, purple-spotted.
Fruits: Capsules, egg-shaped, drooping, 15-20 mm long.
Moist to dry forests in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent throughout BC, especially along the coast, south of 55 degrees N, rare northward; E to NF and S to ME, MA, PA, SC, TN, IA, TX, NM, AZ and CA; Guatemala.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
Shade-tolerant, submontane to subalpine, saprophyte. Transcontinental North American. Species occurs on moderately dry to fresh, nitrogen-poor soils within boreal, temperate, and cool mesothermal climates. Sporadic in the mossy understory of coniferous forests on water-shedding and water-receiving sites; commonly associated with Gaultheria shallon, Hylocomium splendens, and Rhytidiadelphus loreus. Oxylophytic species characteristic of Mor humus forms.
