Ghost Pipe
Monotropa uniflora
Despite its ghostly white appearance, it is a member of the blueberry family (Ericaceae) that has completely abandoned photosynthesis.
- Scientific name
- Monotropa uniflora
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ericales › Ericaceae › Monotropa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deep, shaded temperate and boreal forests with thick leaf litter and complex fungal networks.
- Diet
- Mycoheterotrophic; obtains all nutrients and carbon from mycorrhizal fungi in the Russulaceae family.
- Range
- North America, Central America, Eastern Asia, Northern South America
- Size
- 10 to 30 centimeters in height
- Lifespan
- Perennial (root system lives for many years; flower stalks are ephemeral)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, soil compaction from foot traffic, and unsustainable foraging for medicinal use.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Observe without touching; the plant is extremely fragile and turns ink-black if bruised or picked. While used in traditional tinctures, it contains glycosides that can be toxic if improperly prepared; do not consume.
Monotropa uniflora , also known as ghost plant (or ghost pipe) , Indian pipe or corpse plant , is a herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of Udmurtiya in European Russia, Asia, North America and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. It was formerly classified in the family Monotropaceae; however, it has now been included within the Ericaceae. It is generally scarce or rare in occurrence.
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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