The Preferred Flower of Life
Monotropa uniflora
This unusual flowering plant, which goes by such names as Indian Pipe, Ghost Flower, or Corpse Plant, is white because it lacks chlorophyll. It depends on a fungus for its nutrients; the fungus, in turn, depends on other plants. Emily Dickinson called it "the preferred flower of life," and her first volume of poetry (published posthumously) had the flower on its cover.
Joe Pye Weed
Indian Pipes
Cluster of Monotropa uniflora
This unusual flowering plant, which goes by such names as Indian Pipe, Ghost Flower, or Corpse Plant, is white because it lacks chlorophyll. It depends on a fungus for its nutrients; the fungus, in turn, depends on other plants. Emily Dickinson called it "the preferred flower of life," and her first volume of poetry (published posthumously) had the flower on its cover.