Chisos Coral Root Orchid

In Arizona Hexalectris revoluta grows in Cochise and Pima counties; in Texas, in the Guadalupe and Chisos mountains.

Hexalectris revoluta has a less densely flowered raceme than H. nitida, and more revolute sepals and petals, and more deeply lobed labellum than H. spicata, both species with which it is occasionally confused. The plants are occasionally associated with Acacia, Juglans, and Prosopis in Arizona (R. A. Coleman).

Stems tan, pale pink, to pale brown-purple, 30–50 cm; sheathing bracts 3–5. Inflorescences: floral bracts lanceolate to ovate, 5–15 × 3–4 mm. Flowers 5–15(–20), pedicellate, chasmogamous; sepals and petals strongly recurved, tan to pinkish brown; dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic to lanceolate, 15–25 × 3–8 mm; lateral sepals obliquely elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 15–22 × 3–8 mm; petals narrowly elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate, slightly falcate, 15–19 × 4.5–7.5 mm; lip broadly elliptic, deeply 3-lobed, 13–18 × 9–13 mm, fissure between lobes more than 3 mm deep, middle lobe white with purple, pale yellow near base, obovate-cuneate, apex truncate to retuse, lateral lobes incurved, oblong, obtuse, 1/2–2/3 length of middle lobe; lamellae 3, 5, or 7, white to yellow, obscure; column purple abaxially, white-purple adaxially, 9–15 mm; anther yellow. Capsules 20 × 5 mm.

Ariz., Tex.; ne Mexico.

Flowering May--Aug.

Oak-juniper-pinyon pine woodlands in leaf litter and humus, occasionally in rocky, open terrain; of conservation concern; 1000--1600m.

Hexalectris revoluta, the Chisos Mountain crested coralroot, is a terrestrial, myco-heterotrophic orchid lacking chlorophyll and subsisting entirely on nutrients obtained from mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. It is closely related to H. colemanii; the two are regarded by some authors as varieties of the same species. Hexalectris revoluta is native to western Texas, southeastern New Mexico and Chihuahua.