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Cynomorium coccineum
"The plant has no chlorophyll and is unable to photosynthesise. It is a geophyte, spending most of its life underground, in the form of a rhizome, which is attached to the roots of its host plant; it is a holoparasite, i.e. totally dependent on its host. The low-growing inflorescence emerges (in spring, following winter rain), on a fleshy, unbranched stem (most of which is underground) with scale-like, membranous leaves. Dark-red or purplish, the inflorescence consists of a dense, erect, club-shaped mass, some 15–30 cm long, of minute scarlet flowers, which may be male, female or hermaphrodite. It is pollinated by flies, attracted to the plant by its sweet, slightly cabbage-like odour. Once pollinated the spike turns black. The fruit is a small, indehiscent nut." ~wiki
desert mountain, about 1500 m elevation; the region received a lot of rain this winter
Spotted on Apr 25, 2014
Submitted on Apr 29, 2014
23 Comments
AshleyT: Here's the other spotting I was having issues with removing from a mission: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/185..., if you get a chance to correct it, that would be great. Thanks!
Thanks, Leuba! I am keeping my fingers crossed that we receive some rain this winter so that these plants will come back. And then I can go find them - and taste them! I am thankful to be part of such a helpful and interesting online community. :-)
Thank you, Fyn, for letting me know! It's an honor for this spotting to be nominated. :-)
I hope you get to see the other stages ( flowers & fruit ) and share it with us....
Great spotting all round ! Has generated some good discussion. Thanks for sharing this Bernadette - Well done!!
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Thanks for your help, Ashley! I don't remember the other spotting at the moment, but when I do I'll let you know.
The end of an enigma! Great spotting Bernadette.
Thanks Ashley. Fantastic spotting now Bernadette.
Super article, Fergus, especially the Saudi Aramco section! I want to taste one, now, too. Come back in April and we'll go find them!
I removed it for you :) Some users have this problem, and I'm not sure we have figured out why yet! What is the other spotting? I can remove whichever mission from it as well if you'd like!
Thanks for the reminder, Mark! I've changed the category. And have also tried to remove it from the Mushroom Mapping mission, but although I untick this mission and save changes, it keeps coming up. Any ideas about this? I've had this issue with another spotting as well.
Great information. Looks like you need to change the category too Bernadette.
Intrigued by thus fascinating plant now. Would love to see and taste one! http://www.itmonline.org/arts/cynomorium...
Thanks so much for the ID, Fergus! :-)
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynomoriu...
Red Thumb (Cynomorium coccineum) - Dhahran Hills
The Red Thumb (Cynomorium coccineum) is a parasitic, leafless plant without chlorophyll. It is a fleshy, reddish, club-shaped perennial herb that can grow up to 30 centimetres high and is parasitic on the roots of desert shrubs. It is only visible above ground during its spring flowering period. The flowering stems may emerge from the ground singly but more often they are grouped several together. The inflorescence is dark-red to purplish and is made up of minute scarlet flowers which may be male or female. Flies are attracted by the smell given off from the plant and are thought to be pollinators of the plant which once pollinated turns black. They grow on sandy, saline, ground with this plant photographed in Dhahran camp near the percolation pond. The plant is known as 'tarthuth' by the Bedouin and is also known as Maltese Fungus and Desert Thumb and is used in many herbal medicines around the world.
Oohhh....desert truffles...thanks! Even if this isn't one, I just learned a lot about them. :-)
Could be the fruiting body of a desert truffle, Terfeziaceae, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terfeziace...
Could be. My guide called it a mushroom but it's not something that grows often here...
Looks more like plant material to me, but I don't know.
I've added a pic of the mushroom after I carved out a bit with a rock. Thanks for your help! These are the first mushrooms I've ever seen in Sinai.
This is like nothing I have ever seen... do you have a picture with the section of this mushroom?