Thanks, Betsy! My 1980s botany is out of date! See
" They were termed saprophytes, meaning plants that get their nourishment from decaying organic matter. The term saprophyte is now obsolete, and plants such as Indian pipe and others that obtain nutrients in the same manner are called mycoheterotrophs or epiparasites. They appear to be parasitic on the fungi as no benefit to the fungus from its association with the Indian pipe has been discerned. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Betsy Darlington <darlingtonb...@gmail.com> Date: Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 11:44 AM Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] OT: fab mushroom photos To: Karen Edelstein <k...@cornell.edu> Hi, Karen-- It turns out that they aren't saprophytes after all, but parasites on mycorhizal fungi. (So says Kathie Hodge.) When I learned this from her several years ago, I was very surprised. The same is true of squawroot and beech drops. Betsy On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 12:24 AM, Karen Edelstein <k...@cornell.edu> wrote: > Hi Meena, > > Great finds! Two of your mushrooms (pages 2 and 13) are actually not > fungi, but are saprophytic, nonphotosynthetic flowering plants. Probably > Indian pipe, Monotropa uniflora. > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail > Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> > !* > -- > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
