Naturalist Notes: Ghost in the Woods

Written by: Cathy Wesley - Instructional Guide/Naturalist at JNC

Naturalist Notes Series: Ghost in the Woods

Imagine walking through a dark, shadowing forest and you stumbling upon a patch of ghostly white “mushroom” in the leaf litter round trees, almost as if they were plucked straight from a fairy tale. Meet the ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora), a mysterious plant (not a mushroom at all) that’s not your typical green, sun-loving flower. Instead, this pale beauty is as eerie as it is fascinating!

As you walk along that wooded trail, beneath your feet is an underground network between trees and mycorrhizal fungi. This fungus connects to trees in a symbiotic relationship. Because the relationship between the fungus and the tree is symbiotic, both members benefit from each other. The tree provides carbohydrates to the fungi and the fungi absorbs nutrients from the soil which are passed along to the tree. Now, I know what you are thinking “you said ghost pipe isn’t a mushroom, why are you talking about fungi!” You’re right, ghost pipe is not a fungus it’s a parasite on this network!!!

What gives ghost pipes their white color is their lack of chlorophyll. This means they can’t photosynthesize like other plants to make their own food. So, what this sneaky flower does is tap into that underground network between the trees and mycorrhizal fungi. Ghost pipe absorbs the sugars that have been made by the tree that have passed to the fungus by "fooling" the fungus into thinking it's forming a mycorrhizal relationship. So, the flower is fed but the fungus and tree get nothing from the ghost pipe.

Next time you’re out for a walk in the woods, keep an eye out for these spectral blooms. They’re a reminder that even in nature, things aren’t always what they seem!