E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a thick, ball-like, mass of roots; parasites on mycorrhizal fungi associated with trees; "stems" simple, erect, glandular-hairy and very sticky, 30-100 cm tall, reddish-brown; persistent after seed dispersal; lacking chlorophyll.

Leaves:
Scale-like, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, thick, crowded and usually overlapping like shingles at the base of the stem.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a many-flowered terminal raceme, usually equal in length to the rest of the stem; flower stalks bent downward, 5-15 mm long, glandular-hairy; corollas urn-shaped, 5-8 mm long, glabrous, pale yellow, the lobes 5, short, curved back; calyces glandular-hairy, about half length of corolla, of 5 free sepals; stamens 10, the anthers awned.

Fruits:
Capsules, nearly globe-shaped, 8-12 mm broad.

Notes:
Stem and leaves can be considered part of the inflorescence.