Friday, July 24, 2009

Indian Pipes (Monotropa uniflora)


Strange Plant
Originally uploaded by witchknight2003


These things are popping up all over the place here in the NH woods where I live. I got curious and searched for more info on them, but I had the hardest time finding anything. I thought they were a type of mushroom, but they're actually a plant. They're called indian pipes, and they're related to the blueberry plant! Why are they white, you ask? They have no chlorophyll - they get their energy from the fungi they grow on. To learn more about this amazing and beautiful plant and how it survives, click here.

6 comments:

Georgia Peachez said...

OK, this has got to be the strangest plant/fungi I have ever seen. I thought I had a pretty good knowledge of such things but this one is just blowin' me away. It must be a northern/cold winter plant 'cause I have never seen this anywhere I have lived. (NJ being my most northern abode)
suzy

lolly-jolly said...

hm that looks very weird and cool at the same time!

rigel said...

i just saw one of these for the first time while tromping through the woods yesterday(Ontario,Canada). so that's what it is! i thought it was a mushroom too. thanks!

Rely said...

They are marvellows!!! So white!!! they are without chlorophyll!! strange plant!!! :)
bye

Set Carré said...

Thanks for sharing this! I found some in my woods and was not able to find out what plant it was. I thought it was mushroom too!

Unknown said...

A few years ago, I spent an enchanted hour photographing a stand of these as the sun lit them up in different ways. They are very special! I was told they were called Indian Peace Pipes, by someone who was told by her grandmother, an old New England woman.