Myrosmodes

Add this to the number of times orchids have blown my mind! I usually keep my eyes peeled for them on any hike but I was surely not expecting to find them at 15000ft on the side of a mountain I was climbing! These Myrosmodes are the most extreme example of this adaptable family I have ever encountered. Growing where the intense sun quickly burns exposed skin, yet the bitingly cold wind robs all warmth from a resting hiker, these plants like most others that are able to grow here lie low and even recess themselves into the ground if they are able. Effectively out of the wind, the leaves are able to become quite warm in the day, however, camping nearby revealed that the temperatures sink below freezing at night. This means that these plants grow with a 30-40 degree F difference between day and night.

I googled the genus name and found a botanical drawing that showed the the vast majority of the plant is underground. The rosette seen in the photos is the tips of the leaves which sink another few inches into the soil. Their proportionally massive spikes(although it is only a couple of inches tall) illustrate the true size of the orchid. The one to the left shows a spent spike which has forced its way up through the layer of cushin plants as well as the tiny recessed leaf-crown. There were perhaps two species because I also found plants with much longer, thinner spikes, but it could be environmental conditions that cause that change.