Herbs slender, to 20 cm. Roots thickened tuber, to 3 cm. Leaves not present at anthesis, 3-5, in basal rosette, petoliate; blade deep green, oval, to 3 × 6 cm. Inflorescenses: stems greenish yellow to rosy, slender; stem bracts several, prominent, 10-15 mm. Flowers to 12, in slender, loose, 1-ranked spiral, whitish; floral bracts translucent white, lanceolate-acuminate, 6-10 mm; dorsal sepal oblong-obtuse, 5-7 × 1.5-2 mm; lateral sepals oblong-oblique, 5-7 × 2 mm, apex obtuse; petals spatulate, tapering to narrow base, 4.5-5 × 1.5 mm; lip oblong, constricted above middle, 5.5-8 × 3.5 mm, base with poorly defined tuberosities clasping green column; margins crenulate-lacerate (outer portion strongly recurved in living material), apex with 3 green stripes, expanded, finely pubescent; disc in center of lip, rich cinnabar-red, especially if viewed from beneath, elliptic, thickened; ovary green, 3-5 mm, pubescent.

Flowering May--early Jul. Dry coniferous forest, hillsides, creek canyons; 1500--4600 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.

Plants of Schiedeella arizonica from the southwestern United States were originally identified as Spiranthes parasitica A. Richard & Galeotti by C. A. Luer (1975), and as Schiedeella parasitica (A. Richard & Galeotti) Schlechter by J. Liggio and A. Liggio (1999). Meanwhile P. M. Brown (1996) treated them as S. fauci-sanguinea (Dod) Burns-Balogh. Neither of those species actually occurs in the United States, and Brown later described the taxon as Schiedeella arizonica.

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Slender stems to 25 cm tall, purplish to yellowish green, but glandular-pubescent above.

Leaves: Cauline leaves reduced to sheathing scales, the basal leaves green.

Flowers: Spike slender, few flowered with the flowers in 1 rank, sepals and lateral petals pink, about 7 mm long, the labellum 6-10 mm long, dentate, white with 3 green stripes and with the basal portion bearing a bright red patch.

Fruits: Ellipsoidal capsule, upright, 8 mm by 2 mm.

Ecology: Found on dry, but shaded slopes of the coniferous forests from 7,000-9,000 ft (2134-2743 m), flowers June.

Distribution: Widely distributed in Southwestern US.

Notes: Similar to Corallorhiza except for the green leaves and the bright red spot on the labellum. Was long incorrectly called Schiedeella parasitica or Spiranthes parasitica.

Ethnobotany: Unknown

Etymology: Schiedeella is named from Christian Julius Wilhelm Schiede, a 19th century plant collector in Mexico, while parasitica means parasitic.

Synonyms: Spiranthes parasitica, Schiedeella parasitic, several others, see Tropicos

Editor: SBuckley 2010