Indian Pipes

Indian Pipes

Indian Pipes (Montropa uniflora):

 

The Indian pipe, also known as the ghost plant, is rare to find in the wild. Native to temperate regions of Asia, North America and South America, They prefer to grow in the lower parts of very dense forests. White in appearance, they may sometimes show black and pink tones and will only grow to be a maximum of a half a foot tall. It is very dark in the understory, and with such little light reaching the ground, the Indian pipe utilizes a unique strategy to survive. They are one of the few plants to contain no chlorophyll, hence the non-green appearance, and instead of generating energy through photosynthesis, they act as a parasite that feeds off fungi that grow on trees.

Katrina BergmanIndian Pipes