English: Ghost orchid.
Region: Europe, northern Asia, from Spain to Kamchatka and south the Himalayas, United Kingdom.
Habitat: in beech, oak, pine and spruce forests; on base-rich soils.
BotanyHerb; terrestrial; hardy myco-heterotrophic, on basidomycete fungi, Inocybe for 75%, Hebeloma, Xerocomus, Lactarius, Thelephora; also hosts ascomycete endophytes, assisting in parasitizing; lacking chlorophyll; unpredictable appearance; rare, critically endangered plant.
Root: small rhizome
Stem: underground, burrowing; lacks chlorophyll.
Leaves: ephemeral, small scales.
Flowers: flowering during very wet summers; dozens of flower stalks at once bearing 3–4 flowers growing out of coniferous leaf litter.
Chromosome number: 2n = 68.