Indian-Pipe

 Indian-Pipe, Monotropa uniflora L., which is also sometimes called Ice Plant, is one of the stranger plants you might find while hunting mushrooms. With it's complete lack of chlorophyll the flower stalks look sort of like frozen jelly. Each fragile stalk bears a single nodding bell and the leaves are not much more than scales on the stalk. It is 6-8 inches tall and found between June and October in rich woodlands. It has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes including eye inflammations and as a sedative,but the safety of these uses is uncertain. It is potentially toxic as it does contain several glycosides. Many field guides say it is rare but I have found it fairly often. It is one of those plants which makes me stand in awe of the natural world . This  plant is a parasite, but not on other plants.It is a parasite on the fungus that are growing on tree roots! What a amazing adaptation. If you go to www.TomVolkFungi.net you will find tons of info about this plant.