Indian-pipe, or ghost flower, is startling enough to most people who don't know it that they seek its name - see these threads on the UBC Botanical Garden forums for evidence. The reaction is understandable; the sight of a non-green plant is not an everyday occurrence.
Lacking chlorophyll, Monotropa uniflora cannot photosynthesize. It instead acquires carbon-rich photosynthates in another way: from a nearby tree, via a shared fungal root-association. The process is as follows: the tree photosynthesizes; the carbon-rich products of photosynthesis are transported from the leaves to the roots; the fungus receives a portion of the photosynthates in exchange for piping nutrients to the tree; and the Monotropa, tapped into the same fungus, snags some of those sugars for itself (the fungus also provides the Indian-pipe with most of the mineral nutrients it requires). This particular method of gaining nutrients is known as mycoheterotrophy. Steven Trudell of the University of Washington goes into more detail on this process here: “Fall Mushrooms, Ghostly Fungus-Robbers, and a Definition Revisited”. In central British Columbia at least, Young et al. (2001) found that Monotropa uniflora's fungal associations seem to be restricted to fungi in the family Russulaceae (link to PDF - some interesting microscopic photographs, as well).
Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, named the plant (hence the “L.” after the name in the keywords section). The Linnaean Herbarium, in Stockholm, Sweden, has a digitized herbarium specimen of the plant. Worth a look, if only to see the difference in colour between the living plant and a dried specimen.
On a personal note, my vacation starts next week. On the negative side, I won't be including nearly as much written content with the photographs for several weeks. The images will have to stand on their own for most of the next month. On the flip side, though, is that I'm going to be taking plenty of plant and scenic photographs from the Rockies to the Canadian Shield and the prairie landscapes in between, many of which you will eventually see on Botany Photo of the Day.
Have a great time and I am sure we will all look forward to the fruits (flowers) of your photographic travels!
I saw something like this while i was hiking in the mountains of North Carolina. A very interresting plant indeed. i thought it was some sort of fern.
I followed my elderly uncle into the woods around Mabel Lake in late july. He's an amateur botanist - his whole life. He showed me these eery, beautiful plants. No chlorophyll - I never knew. He also spotted an orchid he'd never seen before. I'm from Alberta and have not spotted either here.
I spotted this plant yesterday 12-31-08 outside DeLand, Florida. It is growing among coontie ferns in a landscaped bed in my front yard. This is the second time that I have seen this plant growing here in central Florida. I first found this plant growing in a clump some 25 years ago in a heavily forrested area close to the shore of a local lake.
I believe it was a pink indian pipe I found as a child between Tahsis and Gold River near the Nootka River on the East side of Vancouver Island as a boy. I dug it up and there was a nodule or bulb about 2cm in width. It had to rhizomes going in different directions and they were very tough. I wanted to plant it at home not knowing anything of parasitic plants without chlorophyll. The "nodule" was aromatic. Kind of like cinnamon. I used it as a pomander in my dresser drawer where it remained aromatic for around 2 years. Anyone know which indian pipe it was?
Budd Bishop, DC
www.budd_bishop@yahoo.com
On the Eastern side of Vancouver Island between Tahsis and Gold River to the left across the Nootka River and a little past the public access to the inlet is a Blueberry Cathedral. It is oval with a canopy of hardwoods. The bushes stant 5-6 feet high and have the biggest blueberries I ever saw as a boy of around 12. I'm 43 now. To the right were prodigious oyster beds with almost every oyster containing a pearl. The blueberry garden looked as if it had been planted or tended by the Nootka Indians for many generations. Does anyone know if it is still in existence. It was spectacular and the home of a pink Indian Pipe with a 2cm nodule that was aromatic and reminiscent of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Budd Bishop, DC
www.budd_bishop@yahoo.com
Wondering if non-white indian pipes are common. Early in spring 2009 in central Flrodia I photographed 2-3 with orange-red and dark purple portions, and one solid black or deep purple with a small white band around the end of the blossom (pipe bowl). I can post a link if of interest.
I found a patch of this today. I live outside of Macfarlan, WV and had no idea what it was. It was growing along a dry ditch bank right along the edge of the shrub line. They were so fascinating. I took the tallest two to the neighbor lady and she had never seen them before. I told her I wanted to know what they were because they just looked like a ghost flower. Well, that got me here. I also thought of how the root ball system looked and the stalks snapped that it could be a fungus. What pleasant reading. Thank you for sharing!
I just found this growing in a patch of woods on my property. I am from Long Island, New York. I never saw this before. It is small right now. Its not as tall as the picture you show. Is this poisonous ?
i found indian pipe in the woods but it looks like it was dipped in black...haven't seen any photos like that...vancouver island cowichan
I just found two patches of this plant in my yard by the edge of the woods. I saw that another person asked if it was poisonous - I have the same question. I thought it was a strange mushroom! We have a lot in our yard due to heavy rain and the wetlands. Very interesting plant!!!
I have read articles all over the internet about this strange plant that I have known for years,thanks to my grandfather Floyd Seamans,but no one seems to know that they glow in the dark!For a nice suprise,find a patch and go back in complete darkness and see for yourself.My grandfather always called them a ghost plant because of this strange feature.
Do plants like these ghostplant and pinedrops, that lack chlorophyll, respire even though they do not photosynthesize?
Photosynthesis and respiration are not coupled. These plants still require sugars for their own growth and development. Those sugars are used in the plant both for structural elements and for respiration.
In The eastern Indian Himalayas similar plants have been noticed by us in the deep virgin alpine forests.But we are not sure whether it is monotropa.Can anyone please give us a photo of the indian plant if any.