We might think of Ghost pipe as unusual, but 90% of all plant species rely on mycorrhizal fungi, and 400-million years ago fungi made it possible for plants to occupy land habitats in the first place. We call these fungi-plant relationships “mycorrhizal,” from the Greek mýkēs (fungus) and rhiza, (root). Ghost pipe relies exclusively on the Russulaceae family of fungi, which in turn gets energy and carbon from tree roots, while supplying the trees with nitrogen, phosphorus, and minerals from the soil. uniflora collects all its nutrients and energy from mycorrhizal fungi, so they don’t bother with photosynthesis, don’t need chlorophyll, and therefore have lost the typical green colouring of plants. Around mid-summer each year, in the fir and cedar forests of western Canada, where I live, clumps of pure white plants pop up, known locally as “Ghost pipe.” Biologists classify them as Monotropa uniflora, members of the Ericaceae family, cousins to blueberry and rhododendron.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |