Ghost Pipes being pollinated

Ghost Pipes popped up after the recent rains. This is my first time seeing one being pollinated!

Since they are white and pop up after rain, I assumed they were a fungus, but apparently they are a plant!

It is striking in appearance because it is completely white in appearance, although individuals can have pink coloration and black specks. How does this plant survive without the green pigment chlorophyll? Chlorophyll is responsible for harnessing the sun’s energy to produce carbohydrates, a process known as photosynthesis. Ghost pipe saps nutrients and carbohydrates from tree roots through an intermediate source, myccorhizal fungi in the genera Russula and Lactarius.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/monotropa_uniflora.shtml

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One response to “Ghost Pipes being pollinated”

  • Chuck Grimmett
  1. It took me a few seconds to figure out where to look for the pollinator. It is a bit difficult to tell the scale of things from the picture. Either that is one gigantic bee or the flowers are quite small. At any rate, an awesome picture, and a very interesting fact. I had never heard of these before.

    I remember learning a few years ago that magnolia trees are pollinated by flies (and beetles), because they are older than bees.

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