Friday, February 25, 2022

Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is definitely one of nature’s weird wonders. Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll. Instead of generating food using the energy from sunlight, it is parasitic, and more specifically a mycoheterotroph. Its hosts are certain fungi that are mycorrhizal with trees, meaning it ultimately gets its food from photosynthetic trees. Since it is not dependent on sunlight to grow, it can grow in very dark environments as in the understory of dense forest. It is often associated with beech trees. This herbaceous perennial plant is native to temperate regions of Asia, North America, and northern South America,