Mycoheterotroph

Mycoheterotrphs are probably one of my most favorite things to find in the forest. I find these plants that are chlorophyll-less and saprophytic when studying fungi in the Pacific Northwest. It is a rare find to see these and it is a life long mission of mine to photograph them. If you ever find these in the forest, please only take photos, and don't take the plant. 

Hemitomes congestum found July 2020 at the Oregon coast.

Monotropa Uniflora found July 2019 in the Coastal Range in Oregon.

Mycoheterotroph comes from the Greek words mykes=fungus, heteros=different, and trophe=nutrition, so a different plant that gets its nutrients from mycelium. More specifically these chlorophyll-less plants are attached to the mycorrhizal networks of fungi that then attach to certain tree roots, and it is within that network of trees and fungi that these plants can survive. 

The first time I saw one of these ghost-like plants was at a camping trip in the coastal range in 2013. I photographed the flowering Monotropa uniflora, and when I was back at home began my search for what this was. I remember searching "fungus flower", "translucent flower" and "ghost flower" in Google. When I found it, I was so excited to see that it was a rare find and began learning about what it was. A few years later I joined the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society and found that I have a passion for mushrooms, forest ecology, and of course Mycoheterorophs.

Allotropa virgata found in the cascades in June 2020.

Pterospora andromedea found in the Cascades in May 2020.

found in the Cascades in May 2020.

found at Mary's Peak in Oregon in April 2020

Hypopitys monotropa found in the Cascades in July 2020.

You can follow my fungus finds on iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/autumna 

Sources on Mycoheterotrophs:
http://mhp.myspecies.info
https://parasiticplants.siu.edu/Mycotrophs/Mycotrophs.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myco-heterotrophy

​Let me know if you have ever found any, in the comments :)