About Cephalanthera austiniae (A.Gray) A.Heller
Cephalanthera austiniae is a distinctive orchid species that grows from the dark, moist forest floor. It has waxy white stems and bears white or yellowish orchid blossoms with yellow centers. If leaves are present on this plant, they are rudimentary, because the species does not need leaves to collect sunlight. Instead, as a mycoheterotroph, Cephalanthera austiniae gets both its energy and nutrients from ectomycorrhizal fungi that belong to multiple different taxa in the Thelephoraceae family.
