Rhizomes of Corallorhiza maculata and Corallorhiza striata and associated mycorrhizal fungi were dried with critical point drying (CPD) and air drying from hexamethy ldisilazane (HMDS) to compare the effectiveness of both methods in preparing specimens for scanning electron microscopy. Drying artifacts such as collapsed cells and lines and ridges on rhizome epidermal cells due to shrinkage resulted from both methods, but CPD produced the least artifacts. CPD and HMDS drying were equally effective at producing good to excellent preservation of internal features of the rhizomes and associated fungi with minimal artifacts.