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Monotropa uniflora
Often mistaken for a fungus due to its lack of color, Ghost Plant lacks chlorophyll. It is myco-heterotrophic, a type of parasitism which involves a mutually beneficial relationship with fungi in the soil where it grows. These fungi in turn have mycorrhizal relationships with a photosynthetic trees; in the end, the ghost plant benefits from the energy provided by the tree, while providing no direct benefit to the tree in return.
AK, AL, AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
Spotted at Brasstown Bald in Georgia
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