#monotropa

September 20, 2024:

Periwinkle Primary, Skydancer, Peacock.

As some of you may know, I am currently dealing with an especially difficult Faerie Physic case right now—possibly my most vexing to date—and it has taken a lot out of me. Between this work, and my paying work that I still have to keep up with to make a living, I have been burning the candle at both ends. In this time of stress and danger, I felt strongly compelled to turn to my chief Herbal Ally—the Ghost Pipe.

Despite the population of Ghost Pipes that I spent years stewarding in a devotional capacity being entirely depleted last year in what I believe was an unethical foraging harvest, I felt a strong call to revisit the site and look for any plants that may have managed to survive somehow.

After making my way to the forested site mentioned above, I began my search along all the places I previously saw colonies growing, but dishearteningly, I found nothing. Finally, I remembered the time a year ago that I felt called to spread seeds from the previous year's pods along areas that I intuitively felt would support Ghost Pipe cultivation. At the time, I didn't realize how fortuitous this act of sowing would be, as it was only a few months later that the area was ecologically divested. Remembering this, I went to a particular spot that I remember spreading an especially large amount of seed powder in, and I was literally choked up to discover, not only a young colony of Ghost Pipes just beginning to peak their heads above the soil, but a small snailshell (which have an especially powerful and longstanding role in my tradition as Fae Omens of the wild).

After lowering myself to the ground in worship and offering up prayers of gratitude and joy, I carefully concealed the area with bracken ferns and marked it with a subtle arrangement of sticks that I implanted in a nearby mound of earth. As a lovely bonus, I stumbled upon a small patch of Gnome Plants while marking the area for later notice—with these plants often showing up in my Craft as meaningful Fae Omens in their own right.

Ghost plants (Monotropa uniflora) growing in Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA

Recently, I had an unpleasant emotional and spiritual shock. I struggle a bit to talk about it because of how upset it makes me, but I feel like the subject matter is important enough to warrant the discussion.

As some may know, one of my dearest plant allies is the Ghost Pipe. I work closely with Monotropes in general, but the Tutelary Spirit of Monotropa Uniflora, in particular, serves as a chief Plant Patron of mine. Part of maintaining this relationship involves visiting a specific location in a devotional capacity, in order to watch, tend, and learn from the population of Ghost Pipes that grow there. I went back to this place not long ago, in order to thank the spectral flowers for lending their power and grace to our Handfasting Ritual, and I was horrified to discover that every one of the colonies I've stewarded over the last few years is completely gone.

They aren't a major food-source for any animals I know of, and this was way more than a die-back, since I recognize what that looks like. What's more, for every colony to have naturally vanished without a trace since the last time I visited was unthinkable. As such, I'm all but sure that someone "Wildcrafted" them to make tinctures for sale. This is absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating, as they have totally misused and abused this sacred plant, and damaged an extremely fragile and unique ecosystem in the process.

The main issue with harvesting Ghost Pipes isn't necessarily that it's rare, though it is in some areas. The real problems are how sensitive they are and how exacting their life cycle is. Sometimes, just touching a Ghost Pipe is enough to damage the plant, disrupt the re-seeding process, and prevent it from growing back. What's worse, the conditions required for the succesful development of these ethereal organisms are extremely specific. Monotropes are Mycoheterotrophs, which derive their energy through mychorizal parasitism. This is to say, they can only get their energy by siphoning it from a small range of subterranean fungi, who in turn, siphon their energy from the roots of certain trees. Between these and other factors, Monotropes are virtually impossible to cultivate or propagate, and they are especially susceptible to the effects of overharvesting. Unfortunately, unethical harvesting has steadily become a real problem in Western Herbalism, where Ghost Pipe tincture is growing in popularity for its mystique and its beautiful violet color. And while it does have a long history of traditional medicinal use as a Nervine, people who aren't getting it purely for its aesthetic qualities are buying it as a miracle cure, without any real understanding of how or why to use it.

I've been muddling through strong feelings of anger, sorrow, and impotence since this happened, and I feel sick thinking about someone out there irreverently peddling this precious medicine under a capitalist guise of "Herbal Wisdom." These sorts of business practices are thoughtless, ecologically unethical, and spiritually blasphemous (as far as I'm concerned). So, I beg you: please think thrice about what you are doing before you harvest a plant. Ask yourself these five questions, and weigh the answers against each other: "Why do I want to harvest this plant?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this organism?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this species?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this ecosystem?' and, 'What will I suffer as a result of not harvesting this plant?

I offer up my most fervent prayers that the seeds I helped to spread earlier in the year will count for something.

Pinesap Monotropa hypopitys Ericaceae

I came across an area rife with colonies of Ghost Pipe beginning to come up for the season, and while there, I found numerous patches of dried pods from last year's growth. Though their seeds were mostly spent, I collected stalks from multiple patches and proceeded to shake out any remaining seed powder they possessed in areas I know will support Monotropa growth. Thereafter, I put them aside for later devotional use.