Coral root

Coral root
	Coral root ( Corallorhiza trifida )
Systematics
Order :	Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family :	Orchids (orchidaceae)
Subfamily :	Epidendroideae
Tribe :	Calypsoeae
Genre :	Coral root ( Corallorhiza )
Type :	Coral root
Scientific name
	Corallorhiza trifida
	Chatel.

The coral Wurz ( Corallorhiza trifida ) belongs to the genus Corallorhiza and thus to the family of the Orchid Family (Orchidaceae).

Surname

The species was described in 1760 by Jean Jacques Châtelain (1736–1822) as Corallorhiza trifida . The genus name refers to the coral-like branched rootstock (rhizome) and is derived from the Greek words κοράλλιον Korallion = coral and ρίζα rhiza = root from. The type epithet comes from the Latin trifidus = three columns. However, it is unclear what the descriptor meant by this - perhaps he is referring to the three-part lower half of the flower, flower shape or the lip drawing.

From the German names Wald-Korallenwurz , Europäische Korallenwurz or Dreispaltige Korallenwurz no designation could prevail.

description

The coral root is a mykoheterotrophic plant with little or no chlorophyll .

This type of orchid, as well as the avian aviary ( Neottia nidus-avis ) and the rascal ( Epipogium aphyllum ) ... are constantly dependent on their mycorrhizal fungi and so parasitize on them ... ; In the past, this was simply called saprophytes . (However, saprophytes are just bacteria and fungi , not plants ).

The coral root is a rather inconspicuous, graceful, perennial herbaceous plant . It has no foliage leaves , but only a few scale leaves attached to the stem . The rhizome is persistent and has a coral-like shape. In some locations these plants tend to form clumps due to the branching of the rhizome.

The two to twelve tiny flowers (only 5 mm long) are yellowish-green in color like the whole plant. The bracts protrude obliquely forward, the tongue-shaped lip (labellum) with tooth-like side lobes is whitish and provided with red dots.

The flowering period of this species extends from the end of April to August, but differs very strongly within the distribution area. The species begins to bloom in the beech forests of the low mountain ranges as early as the end of April. The flowering period only lasts about three weeks. In the polar regions and in the high mountains, where it occurs at altitudes above 2000 m above sea level, it only blooms in midsummer.

However, the coral root does not bloom every year and therefore often remains invisible where it grows.

Buds
Single flower
Inflorescences
Fruit heads

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 42.

distribution

Corallorhiza trifida in the biotope, a beech forest in the Rhön

The coral root is the only species of the genus coral root ( Corallorhiza ) in Europe . Therefore it is sometimes called the European coral root. In North America and Central America there are other, also larger species. There are 11 species worldwide.

The range of the coral root extends in a circumpolar manner over the temperate, boreal and arctic zones of the northern hemisphere . In Europe it is mainly native to Scandinavia and the mountains . It is one of five species of orchid that has even been found in Greenland . The further south it occurs in Europe, the stronger the connection to higher mountain areas. Even in the German low mountain ranges it is not to be found in low altitudes. In the Allgäu Alps it rises in the Tyrolean part near Holzgau against the Vordere Mutte from 1300 to 1500 meters above sea level. According to Baumann and Künkele , the species has the following altitude limits in the Alpine countries: Germany 50–1620 meters, France 660–2000 meters, Switzerland 300–2345 meters, Liechtenstein 700–1700 meters, Austria 400–1900 meters, Italy 500–2150 meters, Slovenia 150-1480 meters. In Europe it occurs from 1–2345 meters, in Asia up to 3500 meters above sea level.

The coral root is a flora element of the meridional / montane, submeridional / montane, temperate, boreal and arctic florence zones.

There are clear main areas of distribution in Germany : On the one hand in the Alps and in the Alpine foothills , then in the Swabian and Franconian Alb and finally from the Rhön to Thuringia .

Outside these areas it occurs only very sparsely. It is completely absent in the northwest and north.

Locations and ecology

The coral root occurs in the mountains and in Northern Europe mainly in moist coniferous forests , in the low mountain range, on the other hand, it settles in beech and mixed deciduous forests on moderately dry to humid soils. It likes to grow in areas with few plants, mossy or leafy areas. The coral root grows on both calcareous and acidic soils. The species is considered a shadow pointer.

It can be found in the plant associations of the following associations or sub-associations:

Luzulo-Fagion Association
Sub-association Cephalanthero-Fagenion
Association Galio rotundifolii-Abietion
Alnion Association

(For a breakdown see: Plant sociological units according to Oberdorfer )

The coral root remains dependent on the supply of the mycorrhiza for its entire life , as it has no green leaves and only very little chlorophyll (full mycotrophy or mykoheterotrophy).

Conservation and endangerment

Like all orchid species found in Europe, the coral root is also subject to strict protection by European and national laws.

Red lists :

Red list Germany: 3
Red list federal states: Baden-Württemberg : V, Bavaria : *, Brandenburg + Berlin : 1, Lower Saxony + Bremen : 0, Hamburg : 0, Hesse : 3, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania : 1, North Rhine-Westphalia : 1, Rhineland-Palatinate : G ', Saarland : -, Saxony-Anhalt : 1, Saxony : 1, Schleswig-Holstein : 0, Thuringia : *

The coral root is considered endangered. The main reasons for this are the rare occurrence of the species and local threats from silviculture.

Systematics

The basionym of this species was set up by Carl von Linné in 1753 in his work " Species Plantarum " as Ophrys corallorhiza .

Next to the valid name Corallorhiza trifida Châtel. (1760) there are some synonyms that have arisen from new descriptions:

Corallorhiza ericetorum Drejer (1843)
Corallorhiza intacta Cham. & Schltdl. (1828)
Corallorhiza innata R.Br. in WTAiton (1813)

The spelling Corallorhiza in 1996 against Corallorrhiza proposed for preservation, which was approved in 1999 by the Nomenclature Commission. In 2000, the spelling Corallorhiza was added to the list of generic names to be preserved in the St. Louis Code .

Varieties

Two varieties of the coral root have been described:

Corallorhiza trifida var. Verna (Nutt.) Fernald (1946)
Corallorhiza trifida var. Virescens (Drejer) Farw. (1941)

Picture gallery

Corallorhiza trifida
Habitus
Corallorhiza trifida
Habitus
Corallorhiza trifida
flowers
Corallorhiza trifida
May 26, 1996
Franconian Alb
Germany
Corallorhiza trifida
Illustration in:
CAM Lindman:
" Bilder ur Nordens Flora "
Stockholm (1917–1927)
Plate 418
Corallorhiza trifida (left)
Illustration in:
Otto Wilhelm Thomé:
" Flora of Germany, Austria and Switzerland ",
Gera (1885)

Sources and further information

literature

Standard literature on orchids

Working groups local orchids (ed.): The orchids of Germany. Working groups of domestic orchids, Uhlstädt-Kirchhasel 2005, ISBN 3-00-014853-1 .
Helmut Baumann , Siegfried Künkele : The wild growing orchids of Europe. Franckh, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-440-05068-8 .
Karl-Peter Buttler : Orchids. The wild growing species and subspecies of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (= Steinbach's natural guide. 15). Mosaik, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-570-04403-3 .
Robert L. Dressler: The orchids - biology and systematics of the Orchidaceae (original title: The Orchids. Natural History and Classification. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. Et al. 1981). Translated by Guido J. Braem with the assistance of Marion Zerbst. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-86047-413-8 (good work on the subject of systematics).
Hans Sundermann : European and Mediterranean orchids. 2nd Edition. Brücke, Hildesheim 1975, ISBN 3-87105-010-5 .
John G. Williams, Andrew E. Williams, Norman Arlott: Orchids of Europe with North Africa and Asia Minor (= BLV determination book. 25). Translated, edited and supplemented by Karl-Peter Buttler and Angelika Rommel. BLV, Munich / Bern / Vienna 1979, ISBN 3-405-11901-4 .

More specific literature

Fritz Füller: Limodorum, Epipogium, Neottia, Corallorhiza (Orchids of Central Europe, Part 7) (= Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei. Volume 385) 3rd edition (unchanged reprint of the 2nd edition from 1977). Westarp Sciences, Hohenwarsleben 2002, ISBN 3-89432-491-0 .

Individual evidence

^ Peter Sitte , Hubert Ziegler , Friedrich Ehrendorfer , Andreas Bresinsky : Textbook of botany for universities. Founded by Eduard Strasburger . 34th edition. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart / Jena / Lübeck / Ulm 1998, ISBN 3-437-25500-2 , p. 808.
↑ ^a ^b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 286 .
↑ ^a ^b Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Corallorhiza. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved July 9, 2018.
↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW, Eching 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , p. 404.
↑ Helmut Baumann , Siegfried Künkele : Orchidaceae . In: Oskar Sebald u. a .: The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition Volume 8, page 423. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998. ISBN 3-8001-3359-8
^ Karl-Peter Buttler: Orchids. The wild growing species and subspecies of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (= Steinbach's natural guide. 15). Mosaik, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-570-04403-3 .
^ John V. Freudenstein: (1260) Proposal to conserve the name Corallorhiza Gagnebin (Orchidaceae) with a conserved spelling. In: Taxon. Volume 45, No. 4, 1996, pp. 695-696, JSTOR 1224261 .
^ RK Brummitt (Ed.): Report for the Committee for Spermatophyta: 48. In: Taxon. Volume 48, No. 2, 1999, pp. 359-371 (here: p. 363), JSTOR 1224443 .
↑ Werner Greuter et al .: International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Saint Louis Code) (= Regnum Vegetabile. Volume 138). Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein 2000, ISBN 3-904144-22-7 , Appendix IIIA, Nomina Generica Conservanda et Rejicienda E. Spermatophyta 2. Monocotyledones (online) .