Pinesap (Monotropa hypopitys). Sandia Mountains, New Mexico, USA.
Pinesap also called Dutchman's pipe, false beech-drops, or yellow bird's-nest, is in the family (Ericaceae). Unlike most plants, it does not contain chlorophyll; it is a myco-heterotroph, getting its food through parasitism upon fungi rather than photosynthesis. The fungi form a mycorrhiza with nearby tree species. The nutrients are transported from tree roots to pinesap through mycorrhiza.
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Pinesap (Monotropa hypopitys). Sandia Mountains, New Mexico, USA.
Pinesap also called Dutchman's pipe, false beech-drops, or yellow bird's-nest, is in the family (Ericaceae). Unlike most plants, it does not contain chlorophyll; it is a myco-heterotroph, getting its food through parasitism upon fungi rather than photosynthesis. The fungi form a mycorrhiza with nearby tree species. The nutrients are transported from tree roots to pinesap through mycorrhiza.
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