Monotropa

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Monotropa
Pinesap-mthood-august2005.JPG
Monotropa hypopitys
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Subfamily: Monotropoideae
Tribe: Monotropeae
Genus: Monotropa
L.
Species [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • HypopitysHill, nom. superfl.
  • MonotropionSt.-Lag., orth. var.

Monotropa is a genus of four species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants. [1] The genus was formerly classified in the family Monotropaceae and presently classified in Ericaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and are generally rare. Unlike most plants, they do not have chlorophyll and therefore are non-photosynthetic; rather, they are myco-heterotrophs that obtain food through parasitism on subterranean fungi. Because they do not need any sunlight to live, they can live in very dark sites such as the floor of deep forest. The name "Monotropa" is Greek for "one turn" as every plant has one large turn near the top of the plant.

Contents

Species

The genus consists of the following three species:

ImageSpecies
Red Indian pipe imported from iNaturalist photo 29769339 on 2 December 2024 (cropped).jpg Monotropa coccinea
Monotropa hypopitys - Many-flowered Indian Pipe (15768726799).jpg Monotropa hypopitys
Monotropa uniflora in numbers.jpg Monotropa uniflora

Monotropa brittonii has been proposed as a separate species from Monotropa uniflora. [2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Monotropa L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  2. Keesling, Ashley R.; Broe, Michael B.; Freudenstein, John V. (2021-12-21). "Reevaluating the Species Status of the Southern Ghost Pipe, Monotropa brittonii (Ericaceae)". www.ingentaconnect.com. Retrieved 2022-01-13.