Strange and Wonderful Indian Pipe Fungus FLOWER from Tugman State Park! (+5 insets!)

(+5 insets)

Eel Lake Hikes: The Short and the Long
There were two trails walkable from the William Tugman State Park campground: the short 1.1 mile one I walked every morning went around part of the west edge of Eel Lake. The other one was a proper hike of 6.6 miles out and back along the eastern side. We only managed to walk to the very end once due to injuries and timing, but it was a fantastic trail that we look forward to enjoying again on our next visit. The experience was equally spectacular to the shorter daily walk but six times longer! :D (If you'd like to read about this awesome hike, I found a page that has pictures and lots of information: Oregon Hikers: Eel Lake Hike

Our first trip on the longer trail took us only about half way before Steve's sore knee had us turning around but we did get far enough that I found these incredible Indian Pipe Fungus plants! We stared in amazement as I took a few pictures of this strange and beautiful fungus...or...plant? WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?!

This is Not a Fungus...it's a Flower!
Growing out of the ground very much like a fungus, I stared in confusion at these growths, wondering what they were. Honestly, their ghostly color made them look like some sort of strange mushroom, but…they didn't have gills or the spongy quality of a fungus. I couldn't help but scratch my head about this odd find.

Hopping onto the internet, I soon learned discovered that these things are flowering plants, not fungus! They grow only in deep forest, erupting from the ground on a single spike, producing one bell-shaped flower which is pollinated by small bumblebee and fly species. They have no chlorophyll and thus, don't depend on photosynthesis for energy. Instead, Indian Pipe Fungus get their energy from fungus! Now there's a switch--they are parasites! Also known as Ghost Plants (Monotropa uniflora), these extremely delicate plants take about three days to erupt from the ground, flower and die, succumbing quickly to the damaging effects of sunlight. In fact, it was difficult to find any that weren't dried up or in the process of turning black.

These odd plants can be found in North, Central and northern South America, and also Asia. They have been used as an herbalist remedy with calming effects and are said to taste a bit like asparagus for those who can't resist eating one. If you'd like more information about these mycoheterotrophs, there's a page on Wiki but also this nice page on a gardening website.

Gardening Know How: Indian Pipe Fungus
Wikipedia: Indian Pipe Fungus

I hope you are all having a very nice week! It's been amazingly beautiful for us and sunny outside--yay for getting exercise and vitamin D!

Explored on 2/25/21; highest placement #1.