The Ghost Plant
Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is a plant but is not green. Since it contains no chlorophyll, it does not carry on photosynthesis but instead is a parasitic species drawing nutrients from fungi in the soil. Look for it in dense moist woodland with lots of leaf litter or pine needles on the forest floor. Indian Pipe is a waxy white color when it first appears, but turns black as the fruit ripens. The leaves grow as white scales along the stem. A single flower hangs with its tip toward the ground. In the photo above, bark mulch serves the function of moistute-holding leaf litter. Two other common names for Indian Pipe are “Ghost Plant” and “Corpse Plant.”
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July 7, 2009 at 2:07 pm07
Oh, how interesting! I used to see these all the time and wondered what they really were. Now the mystery is answered. ( remember those were the days before computers, and I did not have the joy of having a science teacher like you……..and my biology teacher was a nun!)