The only ghost pipe I’ve been able to find so far this year. One of my favorite plants due to its ecology. Ghost pipes lack chlorophyll and are unable to photosynthesize. They parasitize a fungus that grows on tree roots to feed itself.
They’re related to blueberry, oddly enough.
I never realized they’re both a part of the Ericaceae family.
It seems their relation is in part due to the blueberry plants relationship with a fungus too, albeit symbiotic. The ericoid fungi penetrates the cell walls of the plant’s roots. The fungus can prevent heavy metal toxification and helps degrade organic matter for the plant to utilize.
Very interesting stuff! Source
also fun fact its pretty widespread but pretty disjunct an uncommon. they grow from the us all the way to INDIA.
theres even rare relatives like hypotitys, and HERMONITES(which are found in redwood forest) i saw one posted on reddit once. other ones include pitoyopus, the snowplant.
there was once a thismia in the america(thismiacae) in discoreales order(aka yams) in the early 1910s, but none have been found 5 years after its discovery, whats unusual its that thismia are only found in australasia region, and allegedly seperate group in the new tropics(central to south america), almost all of them are very rare. and they like the mycohetertrophs are very similar, lack cholorphyll , tiny. im fascinated by this family and related, because they keep discovering new species(mostly in asia and south america). i became fascinated by mycoheterotrophs when our plant bio lab prof showed us a picture of a snow plant(sarcodes sanguinea) he found. the sad part is on the subreddit about foraging or whatever, people are actually picking these flowers and trying to make a homeopathic tincture out of it.
Yes, to my knowledge ghost pipes were and are used to make a tincture too. It supposedly relieves pain and anxiety.
Even since I saw a picture of Sarcodes sanguinea it has been on my bucket list of plants to find in the wild. It’s a beautiful plant. Unfortunately they really only show up on the upper West coast and I’m not near there.
What’s even cooler, they use the fungus as a conduit for sucking the juices of the plant root the fungus is attached to.
Yup, the pipe is literally this guy 🤣
This is the second time I’ve noticed you in the wild. This platform is too small…
Heya Tempus Fugit! 👋
Unless you mean it is too small for the both of us… spits tobacco
theres even a mix, in the same family there is partial mycoheterotrophy, which means they do both photosynthesis and parasitize the fungus. All orchids do this by the way, and some even lost thier cholrophyll completely, and some are found in north america too, check out coroallhiza orchids.
its symbiotic for the tree, the tree gives sugars, and the fungus in return gives minerals that are deep in the soil.
