Indian Pipe
| Title | Info |
|---|---|
| Common name | Indian Pipe |
| Scientific name | Monotropa uniflora |
| Taxonomic group | Ericaceae |
| Source | Dan L. Perlman |
| Ecosystems | Forests |
| Forests | Temperate deciduous forest |
| Nutrient cycles | Carbon |
| Ecological interactions | Parasitism; Mutualism |
| Organisms | Plants |
| Lessons | Energy Flow; Parasitism |
| Keywords | saprophyte |
| Date | July 17, 2004 |
| Location | Newton,Massachusetts,USA,North America |
Indian Pipe, a parasite on other plants, Massachusetts. This flowering plant, also known as Corpse Plant, Death Plant, and Birds Nest, has no chlorophyll and cannot produce its own carbohydrates. It does not directly parasitize other plants, but it taps into the mycorrhizae (fungal mutualists with plants that attach to roots) and gets carbohydrates from them, after the mycorrhizae get carbohydrates from their photosynthesizing plant partner. Like many parasitic plants, these turn black after death.
