''Hexalectris spicata'', the spiked crested coralroot, is a terrestrial,

myco-heterotrophic Myco-heterotrophy (from Greek μύκης , "fungus", ἕτερος ', "another", "different" and τροφή ', "nutrition") is a symbiotic relationship between certain kinds of plants and fungi, in which the plant gets all or part of its food fro ...

orchid lacking chlorophyll and subsisting entirely on nutrients obtained from

mycorrhizal A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the pla ...

fungi in the soil. It is native to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and Coahuila. It is closely related to '' H. arizonica'' and the two are sometimes considered varieties of the same species. ''Hexalectris spicata'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the southern half of the United States from

east to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and north to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and the

Ohio Valley The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, ''Hexalectris spicata''
/ref>Kennedy, A.H. & Watson, L.E. (2010). Species deliminations and phylogenetic relationships within the fully myco-heterotrophic ''Hexalectris'' (Orchidaceae). Systematic Botany 35: 64-76.

References

External links

* ttp://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/species/hexalectris/spicata/ Go Orchids, North American Orchid Conservation Center, Crested Coralroot (''Hexalectris spicata'')br>Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas @ Austin, ''Hexalectris spicata''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15467564 Bletiinae Myco-heterotrophic orchids Orchids of Mexico Orchids of the United States Plants described in 1882