Leafless epiphytes in the Orchidaceae undergo a morphological metamorphosis in which the root has chloroplast-containing<br />
cortical cells and is the sole photosynthetic organ for carbon gain. All orchids are entirely dependent on mycorrhizal fungi for<br />
their carbon supply during seed germination, and this mycorrhizal association generally persists in adult plants. However, our<br />
knowledge of the mycorrhizal association of leafless epiphytic orchids remains limited, and the contribution of the mycorrhizal<br />
association to nutrient acquisition in these orchid species is largely unknown. In this study, the mycorrhizal fungi of a leafless<br />
epiphytic orchid, Taeniophyllum glandulosum, were identified molecularly using 68 mature plants and 17 seedlings. In total, 187<br />
fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences were obtained, of which 99%were identified as Ceratobasidiaceae. These sequences<br />
were classified into five operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on 97%sequence similarity. The most frequent sequence was<br />
OTU1, which accounted for 91% of all Ceratobasidiaceae sequences, although other phylogenetically distinct Ceratobasidiaceae<br />
fungi were detected. These results show that T. glandulosum