Coming in out of the rain is supposed to be a sign of intelligence, but if like me you are undeterred, a rainy hike can be a great chance to see the woods in a different way.
Up in the Middlesex Fells reservation, just north of Boston, the wet weather is encouraging lots of decay, and the Indian Pipe plants (Monotropa uniflora,right) are springing up everywhere.
I had known since cub scouts that despite their ghostly white color they are not fungi but true vascular plants lacking chlorophyll, but after doing a little research I find they are even more interesting than that.
Indian Pipes are parasitic plants that use decaying plant matter for their nutrients. But here is where it gets interesting- they can't get the nutrients directly. Instead they tap into the mycelia of a Russula fungus.
Emetic Russulas are common woodland mushrooms with a pale red cap and white flesh. They tend to be found near Beech and Pine trees, because they have a relationship with those trees. They tap into the tree roots and send nutrients to the tree in return for sugars. The Indian Pipe imitates the roots of the tree, allowing it to steal some nutrients from both the tree and the fungus.*
So the next time you see some Indian Pipes near a shady path,remember the unseen network below your feet.
http://ecolibrary.cs.brandeis.edu/display.php?id=Indian_Pipe_parasitic_plant_Massachusetts_DP136I had known since cub scouts that despite their ghostly white color they are not fungi but true vascular plants lacking chlorophyll, but after doing a little research I find they are even more interesting than that.
Indian Pipes are parasitic plants that use decaying plant matter for their nutrients. But here is where it gets interesting- they can't get the nutrients directly. Instead they tap into the mycelia of a Russula fungus.
Emetic Russulas are common woodland mushrooms with a pale red cap and white flesh. They tend to be found near Beech and Pine trees, because they have a relationship with those trees. They tap into the tree roots and send nutrients to the tree in return for sugars. The Indian Pipe imitates the roots of the tree, allowing it to steal some nutrients from both the tree and the fungus.*
So the next time you see some Indian Pipes near a shady path,remember the unseen network below your feet.
* Keep in mind that a mushroom is only the reproductive part of a fungus. The fungus itself is a much larger underground network of fine tendrils called mycelia.
My kid thinks your picture looks cool, Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I mean to post a gallery of mushroom photos I have...
ReplyDelete