Monotropa uniflora

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:ERICACEAE
Species:Monotropa uniflora L.
Common Name:One Flower Indian Pipe; Corpse Plant; Ghost Plant
Habitat:Various dry to mesic forests.
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:MOUN3
Plant Notes:Indian Pipe is a native achlorophyllous perennial herb in the Heath family (Ericaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. Indian Pipe occurs in dry to mesic pine or mixed pine-hardwood forests, in scrub oak woods, in sandhills, and in Longleaf pine forests. Indian Pipe for most of the year exists as short, stubby roots surrounded by and connected to a mass of mycorrhizal fungal hyphae. The fungal hyphae are in turn connected to the roots of conifers. The Indian Pipe obtains sugars produced by photosynthesis in the conifer by way of these fungal connections. So Indian Pipe is a parasite, indirectly parasitizing the conifer by way of the fungal connection. In late summer or autumn 1 to several white or pinkish stems emerge from the soil. These stems are from 1-8 inches in height. The stems are glabrous and have sessile, clasping, rounded scale-like leaves along their length. There is a solitary terminal flower. The flowers are nodding with 5 sepals and 5 petals. The flowers are white or pinkish in color and VERY fragrant. The fruit is a capsule. After pollination, the stem straightens so that the capsule is held erect. The small seed have membranous wings. Indian Pipe is easily damaged. Damaged portions of the plant become black in color. Indian Pipe was the favorite wildflower of poet Emily Dickinson. In 1879 she wrote “'Tis whiter than an Indian Pipe –'Tis dimmer than a Lace –No stature has it, like a Fog when you approach the place –Not any voice imply it here –Or intimate it there –A spirit – how doth it accost-What function hath the Air? This limitless Hyperbole each one of us shall be –'Tis Drama – if Hypothesis it be not Tragedy –!”—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, FACU- (NWI)
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyERICACEAE - Heath family
Genus Monotropa
Species Monotropa uniflora L. - One Flower Indian Pipe; Corpse Plant; Ghost Plant

Citation

Citation Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 387–388. 1753.
Basionym: **
Type: USA: VIRGINIA: Without data, Kalm s.n. (lectotype: LINN 551.3). Lectotypified by J.L. Reveal, Huntia 7: 228. 1987.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Hypopitys uniflora Hypopitys uniflora (Linnaeus) Crantz, Inst. Rei Herb. 2: 476. 1766.Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus 1753. 
Monotropa coccinea Monotropa coccinea Zuccarini, Flora 15(2, Beibl.): 100. 1832. MEXICO: Without data, Karwinsky s.n. (holotype: M
Monotropa coccinea var. mexicana Monotropa coccinea Zuccarini, var. mexicana Lange, Vidensk. Meddel. Dansk Naturhist. Foren. Kjoebenhavn 7: 119. 1866, nom. inadmiss.Monotropa coccinea Zuccarini 1832. 
Monotropa coccinea var. nicaraguensis Monotropa coccinea Zuccarini, var. nicaraguensis Lange, Vidensk. Meddel. Dansk Naturhist. Foren. Kjoebenhavn 7: 119. 1866.NICARAGUA: Without data, Oersted s.n. (holotype: C). 
Monotropa humilis Monotropa humilis D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal. 151. 1   NEPAL
Monotropa morisoniana Monotropa morisoniana Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 266. 1803.  
Monotropa morisonii Monotropa morisonii Persoon, Syn. Pl. 1: 469. 1805, nom. illegit.Monotropa morisoniana Michaux 1803. 
Monotropa uniflora var. australis Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus, var. australis Domin, Sitzungsber. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss. Prag, Math.-Naturwiss. Cl. 1915: 6. 1915.  
Monotropa uniflora var. coccinea Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus, var. coccinea (Zuccarini) Domin, Sitzungsber. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss. Prag, Math.-Naturwiss. Cl. 1915: 5. 1915.Monotropa coccinea Zuccarini 1832.  
Monotropa uniflora var. typica Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus, var. typica Domin, Sitzungsber. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss. Parg, Math.-Naturwiss. Cl. 1915: 4. 1915, nom. inadmis.Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus 1753. 
Monotropa brittonii Monotropa brittonii Small, J. New York Bot. Gard. 28: 7. 1927. FLORIDA: Palm Beach Co.: Near Pompano, 2 Dec 1919, Small et al. 9219 (lectotype: NY; isolectotype: NY). Lectotypified by Wilbur & Luteyn, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 65: 102. 1978.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clarke, Clay, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Geneva, Hale, Houston, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Macon, Madison, Mobile, Monroe, Morgan, Pike, St. Clair, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Washington

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1949 - 1989

Barcode / Accession No.
County
Coll. Date
Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
TROY000047529 Autauga 04 Nov 2018 Diamond, Alvin R.
28622		 TROY
Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus
TROY000048880 Autauga 05 Nov 2018 Parker, Matthew R.
1867		 TROY
Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus
UWAL0046712 Autauga 18 Jan 2019 Parker, Matthew R.
1867		 UWAL
Monotropa uniflora Linnaeus
UNA00034346 Baldwin 27 Nov 1987 Burckhalter, Robert
1305		 UNA
Monotropa uniflora L.
UWAL0043401 Baldwin 26 Oct 2001 Larsen, Harry S.
760		 UWAL
Monotropa uniflora L.
UWAL0044220 Baldwin 26 Oct 2001 McArthur, Jill D.
870		 UWAL
Monotropa uniflora L.
AUA_ACC_63660 Bibb 27 Oct 2003 MOFFETT, JR., J.MINCY
 AUA
MONOTROPA UNIFLORA L.
UWAL0054292 Bibb 24 Oct 2021 Keener, Brian R.
12345		 UWAL
Monotropa uniflora L.
AUA_ACC_50956 Bullock 4 Mar 1990 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
6676		 AUA
MONOTROPA UNIFLORA L.
UWAL0001734 Butler 07 Nov 2010 Diamond, Alvin R.
21693		 UWAL
Monotropa uniflora L.
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