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Post by roraima on Jun 20, 2014 14:07:16 GMT -5
Hello all, Not sure if this is really the right section to be posting these as this plant is neither an orchid or a tropical species, but I would say it looks rather exotic. It's of Allotropa virgata or candystick a plant native to the western US and British Columbia, and a member of the Monotropoideae, a sub-family of the Ericaceae that lack chlorophyll. I took these pics yesterday on one of my botanical adventures and although it's not exactly rare and not listed as such, it's not exactly common either and I had never seen one in full bloom before. Hope you enjoy.
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Post by hal on Jun 20, 2014 15:32:37 GMT -5
What an interesting plant. It reminds me of the flower stalks on my Petasites.
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Post by lloyd on Jun 20, 2014 16:22:13 GMT -5
I've always liked the saprophytes. Very nice pictures.
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Post by Apoplast on Jun 20, 2014 19:17:16 GMT -5
I just knew Lloyd was going to be excited about these critters. Thanks for sharing the photos Cory!
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Post by hal on Jun 20, 2014 22:01:41 GMT -5
I've seen Indian Pipe but never really understood their biology. I always thought they were the first shoots of a plant and would eventually turn green and leafy. I guess you can't grow these at home without a Douglas fir and some special fungus.
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Post by roraima on Jun 21, 2014 0:24:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the compliments. Though Apoplast my top secret non-OCPS name is Guy not Cory Hal: It's too bad, just a few meters away from the Allotropa was a huge circular patch of Indian pipe ( Monotropa uniflora) just emerging form the ground like medusa hair. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture. I think you certainly have it right about the Dougalas-fir and fungus. You definitely need the right combination of mature Doug-fir forest, with an intact understory where mosses and fungi can thrive to see this plant in my experience. Ericales is a wild order from Allotropa to blueberries to Sarracenia!!
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Post by lloyd on Jun 21, 2014 19:10:53 GMT -5
The "saprophytes" actually get their nutrition by parasitizing fungi which are in symbiosis with trees.
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Post by Apoplast on Jun 22, 2014 16:30:16 GMT -5
Sorry Roraima - I lost track of who I was replying to.
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Post by roraima on Jun 22, 2014 23:16:45 GMT -5
No worries at all Apoplast. Sometimes I can't keep track of who I am on the OCPS thanks to all the recent avatar madness
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