I found this last weekend on our NW Pennsylvania property.I have been told it is a wild;ower. It is a pretty neat plant and not often seen. I know it likes damp leaves & woods, but other than that know very little about it
Thought folks would enjoy seeing it,
This message was edited Jul 8, 2011 6:37 AM
Very cool. Thanks for the pic.
Beautiful! I wish they grew here. :-(
Beautiful! I wish they grew here. :-(
I don't have woods like that, believe me. I wish I did. I am working on it though with over a hundred oak trees planted. :-O
This was actually growing in the front yard of our cottage. Not woods, but a lot of very ancient maples, and rotting, damp leaves on the ground. I guess you would call it "old growth" area ~j
Looks like Monotropa uniflora, a saprophytic perennial related to azaleas and rhododendrons. It's white because it contains no chlorophyl.
Yes, and it has a reputation of being almost impossible to propagate. :-(
It's my understanding that a certain insect has to fertilize it - at least that is what I have been told.
I have seen this occasionally over the past several years on our property.
had no clue it was related to azaleas & rhododendums. Wow! Am surprised. Saphrophytic makes sense, Thanks! ~j
I found seeds on eBay but I hesitate to try them. I don't think I would have any success.
Really? Goodness, one can find anything on Ebay! ~Jan
Yep. I was surprised to find them myself.
They were about 3.00 if I remember correctly. I guess I could throw them near my rhododendrons, wintergreen and azaleas. I thinkI may try it. Maybe the other Ericaceaes would have the same fungus needed for the Indian Pipe?
This message was edited Jul 2, 2011 10:35 PM
Thanks for sharing the photo. This is one thing I'd love to have in my shady garden, but, alas, it doesn't sound like it would work so I'll have to appreciate them through pictures . . .
Make sure those seeds have rotting leaves
Rotting oak leaves I do have. :-D
I purchased the seeds a couple hours ago.
Make sure you let us know what happens. I am curious what you have. But that is really cool that you were able to purchase seeds! ~j
I plan to update this thread with my results or lack thereof. I tagged it.
Beautiful!
I'd love to have these in my forest
They might be there, the plant being white, and small, they are easy to miss. Once you see one, you know what to look for. This one was growing in the front yard of our cottage near an ancient maple tree. There is a lot of moss growing there, so the grass doesn't get cut & it is dappled shade. Obviously we don't rake the leaves either. I have also seen them growing along the road leading to the cottage along the bank of a river (high above the river though) I have only seen them in June, because that is the month I am up there. ~jan
I received my seeds from Darcyoftheforest. 200 seeds. I planted them near Kalmia Nathan Hale. It's an area that isn't heavily covered with leaves but should still have the mycorrhizal fungi required for germination. I didn't water them in but figured it would be best to let the rain do that job.
Any comments?
200 seeds? wow! It will be interesting to see how they do. ~Jan
That's a lot of seeds! Probably due to difficulty germinating? did you spread them all in the same area or did you try different spots?Please update on your progress!
I spread them as broadly as I could in that one area. They were like pollen grains. I will keep this thread updated but who knows how long it will take to see them even if they do germinate. Fingers crossed. :-p
Here is a grouping we saw today in a walk in our woods. They are coming up all over the place.
And this one too. Pinesap or Monotropa hypopitys a cousin of the Indian Pipe
You are a lucky dog, NativeVA. :-)
Very cool NativeVA - aren't they just the neatest things to see? ~Jan
Yes, around our neck of the woods the Pinesap is pretty rare. Probably 5000+ Indian Pipes for every Pinesap. We practically trip over the Indian Pipes there are so many. The Pinesap gives its self away by the yellow tint and different flower.
Oh, my! Where am I going to get seeds for Pinesap?!? Someone rescue me.
Pinesap is a new one to me. I will have to watch for it too ~j
Great articles! Thanks for posting the links
Sure!
Been seeing lots popping throughout July - pretty cool plant - most folks think it is a fungus - and rightfully so as it has no chlorophyll - I think there are fungus (mycorrhizae) associated with their roots that connect to roots of "green" plants and thus get a food source thru this intricate connection - nature never fails to amaze me! Would be interested in hearing if anyone has success with growing them from seeds - I suspect you would need soil from an area with them to ensure the fungal/root relationship could develop.
I'm wondering what the seeds even look like! I've been thinking of trying to get some, but not sure how they'd grow here.
