pinesap
Monotropa hypopitys
Because it lacks chlorophyll and does not photosynthesize, pinesap can grow in complete darkness on the forest floor, relying entirely on fungi to steal energy from neighboring trees.
- Scientific name
- Monotropa hypopitys
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ericales › Ericaceae › Monotropa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deep, shaded humus of coniferous and deciduous forests
- Diet
- Mycoheterotrophic (absorbs nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi)
- Range
- North America, Europe, Northern Asia
- Size
- 10 to 30 cm in height
- Lifespan
- Perennial (rhizomes live for many years; aerial stems are annual)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Deforestation, soil compaction, and disruption of underground mycorrhizal networks.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely observe and photograph this unique, non-photosynthetic plant. Do not attempt to pick or transplant it, as it cannot survive without its highly specific, underground fungal host network.
Monotropa hypopitys — called Dutchman's pipe , false beech-drops , pinesap , or yellow bird's-nest — is a herbaceous perennial plant, formerly classified in the families Monotropaceae or Pyrolaceae, but now included within the subfamily Monotropoideae of the blueberry family (Ericaceae). It is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and is scarce or rare in many areas. However, it is still the most widespread member of the subfamily. While currently included in the genus Monotropa , recent genetic...
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/4b9680aa-2e96-4da4-8caf-10d8395c9bf8.md