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Monotropa hypopitys
Also called False Beechdrops, American Pinesap, Pinesap, Yellow Pinesap, Hairy Pinesap, Many Flowered Indian Pipe, False Beech Drops
Monotropa hypopitys, syn. Hypopitys monotropa, also known as yellow bird's nest in Britain and Ireland, pinesap and false beechdrops in Canada and the United States, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the Monotropoideae subfamily of the family Ericaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is scarce within its range. M. hypopitys is a mycotrophic plant which means it obtains nutrients and fixed carbon by parasitizing the mycorrhizal networks of trees. It lacks chlorophyll and does not photosynthesize. The species name, M. hypopitys, is from Latinized Greek hypo-, "under", and pitys, "pine", referring to where it often grows.
Monotropa hypopitys is the most widespread member of its subfamily (Monotropoideae). Outside of North America, its wide distribution includes India, China, Pakistan, Russia, and much of Europe. In the United States, the heath family (Ericaceae) mycotrophic species are most common in the western mixed coniferous forests. M. hypopitys distribution is influenced by the host distribution, specifically that of Tricholoma fungi.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Monotropa hypopitys by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
