Description

The stream orchid is one of the roughly forty taxa of the orchid family found in California. Most of California’s orchids are as beautiful as they are difficult to cultivate. The coral roots of the genus Corallorhiza, for instance, appear in woodland settings with small intricate flowers with maroon markings. The plants are incapable of photosynthesis but rely on soil fungus for food, rendering the genus nearly impossible to cultivate. The stream orchid, however, is one of a very few native orchids that is quite easy to grow. It grows abundantly in moist habitats throughout western North America. Following winter dormancy it sends up shoots of wide leaves topped with sets of flowers with some combination of green, yellow, orange or red. It spreads via rhizomes as far as it can find water, forming quite a clump over time.