Ghost plants can be found deep in the forest where there is little sunlight but plenty of available nutrients. Instead of getting their energy from photosynthesis, wildflowers in this group get their energy from other organisms – fungi, to be specific. “Myco” means “fungus,” and the word “trophic” refers to nutrition. Ghost Plants belong to a group of flowers known as mycotrophic wildflowers. They have no chlorophyll, and they cannot photosynthesize. The oxygen we breathe is created as a byproduct of this process.īut ghost plants aren’t green. Using energy from the sun, they convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates (a.k.a. Photosynthesis is the process through which plants can create their own food. There are other pigments that can help with this process, but chlorophyll usually does the heavy lifting. Chlorophyll serves a very important purpose for plants – it allows them to harness the sun’s energy for the process of photosynthesis. If you’ve taken a biology course, you probably know that plants get their stereotypical green color from a pigment called chlorophyll. But don’t be deceived – it is indeed a plant. Starch white, waxy, often with black flecks on the stalk and petals, this organism may at first glance be considered a fungus. The ghost plant (also called Indian pipe, ghost pipe, or ghost flower) is striking in appearance mainly for the “typical” wildflower trait that it lacks: color. One of these mold-breaking wildflowers is the ghost plant ( Monotropa uniflora). While this is a common place to find many wildflowers, there are some that thrive in drastically different environments. When you think of where to find a wildflower, you might picture large, sunny meadows with bees and butterflies flitting around.

Wildflowers are not typically planted by humans the way a rose bush or vegetable might be, and they require no assistance in obtaining water or nutrients. A wildflower can be defined as any flowering plant that grows without the help of humans. When you think of Georgia wildflowers, you might imagine milkweeds stretching towards the sky, wild indigo with its rich blue petals, or the echinacea that is sold in some health stores.

Wild blue indigo flower black night