UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Burnaby, BC
Posts: 6,928
One of my favourite plants! This is Monotropa uniflora, commonly known as Indian pipe or ghost plant. It is in the same family of plants as Allotropa virgata, which was posted last week in this plant identification thread.
Tom Volk, at the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse has written an excellent article about this group of plants. Please note that although this is part of his "Fungus of the Month" series of articles, it is not a fungus (which he states in the first sentence). Also, he's working off of a reference that places the plant in the heath family (Ericaceae) along with blueberries, rhododendrons and so on - I'm fairly certain that this group of plants is now considered to be part of its own family, the Monotropaceae, but I'll have to check a reference and post a follow-up.
Thank you very much for the speedy reply! The info about Monotropia was really interesting, including the use of it as a medicine. After all the warnings about the plant possibly being poisonous, it's a wonder anyone survived after using it! Seeing it almost glowing in the dark woods was unforgettable.
UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Burnaby, BC
Posts: 6,928
I've checked my reference (Judd et. al., Plant Systematics - A Phylogenetic Approach, 2nd Ed.) and recent studies suggest that Monotropa and its relatives are best placed in a broadly-defined Ericaceae.
I have this wonderful flower, Monotropa uniflora, growing in my Massachusetts yard in a wooded section near some pachysandra and hosta, all under the canopy of a native white pine. This is the plant's first appearance in my yard, and the first time I have ever seen it. I initially mistook it for some sort of mushroom and spent hours trying to look it up. After closer inspection, I noted that flower heads had developed, and shopped around woodland wildflower sites until I discovered "Corpse Plant" and sure enough that was the plant. Loved reading all about it, but I am wondering how rare it is to have this spring up in a suburban garden? Any comments welcomed. Thanks
UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Burnaby, BC
Posts: 6,928
Re: Weird white wildflower!
Donna, that would be a fairly uncommon event. It just so happens you have the right combination of tree, fungus and environmental conditions for the plant to grow.
Thank you for your information. I am watching it progress through pollination, to blackened areas--fascinating! Is there anything I can do to help ensure it's return next year, possilby with some offspring?
Just to add another sighting in Suburbia - I have multiple clumps of Monotropa in my suburban garden - in Wayland, Massachusetts, USA. As in Donna's case, the flowers are growing under a canopy of native white pine and pin oak - in a deep layer of bark mulch. The underlying soil is gravel, sand and fine glacial mud - I live on a Drumlin.
Mari
UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Burnaby, BC
Posts: 6,928
Re: Weird white wildflower!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
Thank you for your information. I am watching it progress through pollination, to blackened areas--fascinating! Is there anything I can do to help ensure it's return next year, possilby with some offspring?
Thanks again,
Donna
You caught me while I was away on vacation. I'm afraid I don't have a firm answer to that - likely the best thing to do is let it be.
UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Burnaby, BC
Posts: 6,928
Re: Weird white wildflower!
Sourcing Plants is a separate forum available if you register for the forums. I'd rather not close this thread, so I'll instead kindly ask that responses to the "sourcing seeds for this plant" question go into the Sourcing Plants forum if a thread is started there.
