Happy Mystery Monday! What stunning native plant is blooming along our forest edge?
Last week, we asked you about ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora)! Also known as Indianpipe, this plant is often confused for a fungus due to its white color and growth habit. Ghost pipes are parasitic plants, getting their nutrients via mycorrhizal fungi from the roots of other plants instead of relying on photosynthesis to produce their own. This relationship is known as mycoheterotrophy. Because it is non-photosynthetic, it does not produce chlorophyll, which provides the typical green pigmentation in plants. Once considered to be in the same plant family as blueberries, ghost pipe is now a member of Monotropaceae. Bumblebees serve as important pollinators of the ghost pipe.
#forestecology #adkinsarboretum #mysterymonday #ghostpipe #symbioticrelationship #carolinecounty
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go here.
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