Ghost Plant
Monotropa uniflora
34.87, -83.81
Field Notes
Description:
Often mistaken for a fungus due to its lack of color, Ghost Plant lacks chlorophyll. It is myco-heterotrophic, a type of parasitism which involves a mutually beneficial relationship with fungi in the soil where it grows. These fungi in turn have mycorrhizal relationships with a photosynthetic trees; in the end, the ghost plant benefits from the energy provided by the tree, while providing no direct benefit to the tree in return.
Habitat:
AK, AL, AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
Notes:
Spotted at Brasstown Bald in Georgia
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