#corpse plant

Ghost pipe, Monotropa uniflora.

More late summer treasure from a short hike around Messinger Lake (a.k.a., trout pond) at Coopers Rock State Forest.

From top: the nearly ripe berries of frost grape (Vitis vulpina)*, whose fruit reaches full maturity just before the first frost of October; sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), whose dried leaves were once used as an ingredient in snuff; Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora), also known as ghost plant and corpse plant, a parasitic plant that derives nutrients from trees via a mycorrhizal relationship with fungi; Appalachian ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes arcisepala), a late summer orchid found growing at the moist edges of wetlands; white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata), a late-summer perennial of Appalachia’s rich woods and clearings; a pair of eastern destroying angels (Amanita bisporigera) hiding in the ferns, an idyllic spot for these deadly beauties; a young sulphur shelf fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus), also known as chicken-of-the-woods, at prime edibility; and Appalachian oak-leech (Aureolaria laevigata), also known as entireleaf yellow false foxglove and smooth false foxglove, a partially-parasitic plant that attaches to and derives nutrients from oak tree roots while also creating energy from photosynthesis.

But wait, why do I feel uncomfortable whilst looking upon the “misshapen giant penis” flower? 

Oh. Oh dear. Missing eyes. 

Missing arm tattoos? 

Preserved leg tattoos. 

Amorphophallus titanum, or Titan arum (also called “corpse flower” due to the smell it emits- which mimics the smell of animal decomposition to attract pollinators) is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world.

In cultivation, the titan arum generally requires 7 to 10 years of vegetative growth before blooming for the first time. After its initial blooming, there can be considerable variation in blooming frequency. Some plants may not bloom again for another 7 to 10 years while others may bloom every two to three years.

Picture of Monotropa uniflora (ghost plant / corpse plant / indian pipe) I took in my woods.

We always get a lot of these in our forest. We don't get much sunlight, so it makes sense that plants that don't require sun thrive here. They have a ghostly, ethereal vibe that is so pretty and comforting to me.

Also they turn blood red when they die.

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