Monotropa uniflora - Ghost Plant
These striking looking smooth white (sometimes with a touch of pink, or even, rarely, almost completely red, although I have never seen this) no chlorophyll plants, which draw their energy from fungi, which in turn draw their energy from the roots of trees, are actually fairly common in relatively good quality deciduous woods around here. It was nice to encounter some so soon after seeing M. hypopitys for the first time, to remind myself of how different from one another they actually look. This is one of the first native wildflowers I learned to identify, many years ago, and I have always appreciated their ability to grow and bloom under the welcoming shade of the canopy in summer, when so few other species can, and the sun outside is wiltingly hot (for me at least).
Monotropa uniflora - Ghost Plant
These striking looking smooth white (sometimes with a touch of pink, or even, rarely, almost completely red, although I have never seen this) no chlorophyll plants, which draw their energy from fungi, which in turn draw their energy from the roots of trees, are actually fairly common in relatively good quality deciduous woods around here. It was nice to encounter some so soon after seeing M. hypopitys for the first time, to remind myself of how different from one another they actually look. This is one of the first native wildflowers I learned to identify, many years ago, and I have always appreciated their ability to grow and bloom under the welcoming shade of the canopy in summer, when so few other species can, and the sun outside is wiltingly hot (for me at least).
