Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant, ghost pipe, or Indian pipe, is an
herbaceousperennialflowering plant native to temperate regions of
Asia,
North America, and northern
South America, but with large gaps between areas.[1][2] The plant is waxy white, but some specimens have been described as having black flecks or pale pink coloration.[3] Rare variants may have a deep red color. The name "Monotropa" is Greek for "one turn" and "uniflora" is Latin for "one flowered" as there is one sharply curved stem for each single flower. M.uniflora is commonly found growing in clumps of 2 or more, with its fungal source nearby.
Description
The stems reach heights of 5–30 centimetres (2–12 in), sheathed with highly reduced
leaves 5–10 millimetres (3⁄16–3⁄8 in) long, best identified as scales or bracts. These structures are small, thin, and translucent; they do not have petioles but instead extend in a sheath-like manner out of the stem.
As its scientific name suggests, and unlike the related Monotropa hypopitys (but like the close relation Monotropastrum humile), the stems bear a single
flower 10–20 mm (3⁄8–13⁄16 in) long, with 3–8 translucent petals, 10–12
stamens and a single
pistil.[4][5][6][7] It flowers from early summer to early autumn, often a few days after rainfall. The
fruit, an oval capsule-like structure, enlarges and becomes upright when the seeds mature. Past maturity the stem and capsule look desiccated, and dark brown or black with a brittle texture.
The seeds of M. uniflora are small, ranging between 0.6–0.8 mm (3⁄128–1⁄32 in) in length.[8] Once the plant has been pollinated, the seeds are pushed through the petals in a tiny slit and dispersed via wind methods.
Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain
chlorophyll.[9] Instead of generating food using the energy from sunlight, it is
parasitic, and more specifically a
mycoheterotroph. Its
hosts are in the Russulaceae family.[9] Most fungi are
mycorrhizal, meaning that they grow symbiotically in association with tree roots. Through the fungal web of mycorrhizae, the M. uniflora roots ultimately sap food from where the host fungi are connected to the
photosynthetic trees. The clustered
node roots of this plant are covered in hairs called
cystidium. The cystidia found on these roots allow easy attachment to fungi
hyphae, such as can be seen in
ectomycorrhiza.[10] Since it is not dependent on sunlight to grow, it can grow in very dark environments like in the understory of dense forests.[11] The complex relationship that allows this plant to grow makes
propagation difficult.
Genetics
M. uniflora is found in three general distribution areas: Asia, North America, and Central and northern South America.
DNA analysis has shown that these three populations are genetically distinct from one another.[1] Furthermore, the North American population and the Central/South American population appear to be more closely related to each other than either are related to the Asian population.
It was formerly classified in the family
Monotropaceae, but is now included within the
Ericaceae. It is of
ephemeral occurrence, depending on the right conditions (moisture after a dry period) to appear full grown within a couple of days.
Ecology
The flowers of M. uniflora are visited by various
bee and
fly species, most commonly
bumblebees.[13] Bumblebees are an important
pollen dispersal agent for the plant, crawling into the flower for pollen.
Like most mycoheterotrophic plants, M. uniflora associates with a small range of fungal hosts, all of them members of
Russulaceae.[14]
Walter H. Prest described the plant as having an asparagus-like flavor once cooked.[18]
Cultural references
M. uniflora has been featured in several pieces from renowned American poet
Emily Dickinson.[19]
The
Cherokee of North America feature the "pipe plant" in some of their creation stories. The legend states that the plant was named "Indian pipe" due to a group of chiefs quarreling without resolution, while passing a pipe around during the dispute; the Great Spirit then turned the chiefs into the plant, as they should have smoked the sacred pipe after making peace with each other. The plant is said to grow wherever friends have quarreled.[20][21][22]
^Klinkenberg, Brian, ed. (2017).
"Monotropa uniflora". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
^Giblin, David, ed. (2018).
"Monotropa uniflora". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
^"Monotropa uniflora". in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora. Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley. 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
^Olson, A. Randall (July 1980). "Seed Morphology of Monotropa Uniflora L. (Ericaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 67 (6): 968–974.
doi:
10.1002/j.1537-2197.1980.tb07728.x.
^
abFagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT:
FalconGuides. p. 45.
ISBN978-1-4930-3633-2.
OCLC1073035766.
^Massicotte, H. B.; Melville, L. H.; Peterson, R. L. (March 2005). "Structural features of mycorrhizal associations in two members of the Monotropoideae, Monotropa uniflora and Pterospora andromedea". Mycorrhiza. 15 (2): 101–110.
doi:
10.1007/s00572-004-0305-6.
PMID15490255.
S2CID22755260.
^Maloney, Kathleen; Finocchio, Alfred F. (November 1981). "Chromosomes of Monotropa uniflora". Journal of Heredity. 72 (6): 458.
doi:
10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a109563.
^Klooster, Matthew R.; Culley, Theresa M. (July 2009). "Comparative analysis of the reproductive ecology of Monotropa and Monotropsis : Two mycoheterotrophic genera in the Monotropoideae (Ericaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 96 (7): 1337–1347.
doi:
10.3732/ajb.0800319.
PMID21628282.
^Yang, S.; Pfister, D. H. (2006). "Monotropa uniflora plants of eastern Massachusetts form mycorrhizae with a diversity of russulacean fungi". Mycologia. 98 (4): 535–540.
doi:
10.3852/mycologia.98.4.535.
PMID17139846.