Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) in Winneshiek County IA 653A6180
Most woodland wildflowers are done blooming for the year but this delightful Indian pipe plant is still in fine flowering form! Most Indian pipe plants are pure white and give rise to the common name "ghost plant". This particular plant has some pretty pink pigmentation which was probably picked up from minerals in the surrounding soil. Indian pipe is a flowering plant just like a rose but it lacks chlorophyll and relies on help from nearby fungi for its fuel that the roots tap into.
Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) in Winneshiek County IA 653A6180
Most woodland wildflowers are done blooming for the year but this delightful Indian pipe plant is still in fine flowering form! Most Indian pipe plants are pure white and give rise to the common name "ghost plant". This particular plant has some pretty pink pigmentation which was probably picked up from minerals in the surrounding soil. Indian pipe is a flowering plant just like a rose but it lacks chlorophyll and relies on help from nearby fungi for its fuel that the roots tap into.