Nature Notes
Pinesap, Indian-Pipe Are Island Plants in Same Family
By Patricia Martin

The other day at choir rehearsal, my friend, Doc, said to me, "Do I have a plant to show you!" He pulled out his digital camera and showed me several pictures of a plant that he found on the Island close to where he lives. I looked at this unusual flower and I recognized it, but couldn't remember the name offhand. As I did some research on this plant, I realized that I had not included it in my original master's thesis of the "Vascular Plants of Mackinac Island, MI," so I can now add it to my list. The plant is known as Pinesap (Monotropa hypopithys).

As Doc said when he showed it to me, it reminded him of Indian-pipe, also known as Corpse Plant (Monotropa uniflora), but it had multiple flowers on the same stalk and was the wrong color. It makes sense that he would associate these two plants as they're in the same family and, furthermore, are in the same genus. Indian-pipe, by the way, is up right now (the first sighting was the end of July this year) though not in the abundance that we've often seen it, perhaps owing to the lack of precipitation. Indianpipe is a plant that is all white and rather waxy, standing up to 10 inches in height. The single flower which it produces is at first nodding, but it eventually turns upward. The stems are rather scaly and occasionally have a slight pinkish cast. The pale color of these plants has lead to their name, Indian-pipe, because in the slightly bent stage they look like the old white clay pipes which were smoked in the days of the voyagers. The name Corpse Plant also refers to the ghostly white appearance, and there is a legend that states that these plants appear over places where people have been buried.

Pinesap, also occasionally known as False Beechdrops, like Indian-pipe usually appears in the summer and fall. It grows between four and 12 inches tall. Acluster of three to 10 nodding, pale yellow, tan, or occasionally reddish flowers appears on the tip of a single stem. The red flowers usually are ones that appear in the autumn and the plants darken in drying. The flowers are never white. The plant may be somewhat pubescent or downy.

The leaves are scale-like, pressed close to the stem, and are the same color as the flowers. The stem itself is soft and fleshy. The young raceme starts off drooping, but as it ages the stem straightens out and holds the flowers erect.

Pinesap (Monotropa hypopithys)

These plants are often found in coniferous or deciduous woods, but they may also appear in even cedar swamps. As their name suggests, they're often found with pine trees but they may be found in association with oak trees as well (not usually with beech trees, however). Their scientific name also indicates something about their structure and their associations. The genus "Monotropa" comes from the Greek words "mono" meaning one and "tropos" meaning turn, referring to the summit of the flowering stem being turned to one side. The second part of the scientific name hypopithys is an old genus name, which comes from the Greek "hypo" meaning under and "pitys" meaning pine, referring to the fact that they often grow under pines.

You might have noted from the description of both the Indian-pipe and the Pinesap that neither of them have any green parts. This is because they have no chlorophyll and therefore cannot produce food through the process of photosynthesis. They have to get their energy in another way. For many years they were believed to be saprophytic, getting their nourishment from the humus (rotting organic material) on the forest floor. More recently it has been discovered that they might better be considered parasites. At the base of the plant is a root ball of tightly-wrapped mycorrhizal roots which connects it with a fungus, which forms mycorrhizae, which connects it with a forest tree. This means, in effect, that the Pinesap or the Indian-pipe is really parasitic on a host tree with a fungal intermediate. This also means that there is no way to transplant plants like these to another location, as you would have to transplant the plant, the underground fungus, and the tree without damaging any of the parts.

There are a number of other plants on Mackinac which have a similar feeding system, including the Coralroots, Cancerroot, Beech-drop, and one I wrote about several years ago known as Giant Bird's Nest, or Pine-drop. Pine-drop is a tall (one to four feet in height) herbaceous plant which is reddish brown in color with small bell-shaped flowers along the raceme. Doc discovered this plant along Rock Trail several years ago and showed it to me. I find it interesting that it's in the same family and is closely related to the Pinesap and Indianpipe. Some authorities put these three plants in the Pyrolaceae (the Wintergreen Family), others put them in the Ericaceae (the Heath Family), while Dr. Edward G. Voss, who wrote "Michigan Flora" Volumes I, II, and III, puts them in their own family Monotropaceae (the Indian-pipe Family). In whatever family they're placed, these three plants are always together.

Keep an eye out for these and other unusual Mackinac plants, and let me know if you see something out of the ordinary.

Trish Martin is a yeararound resident of Mackinac Island, has earned a master's degree in botany from Central Michigan University, and owns Bogan Lane Inn.