The plant that needs no sun: Meet the wild and wonderful ghost pipes

Don’t be scared — the ghost pipes won’t get you! But you might be enchanted by this unusual plant that tends to pop up after summer rains. After all, how often do you run into a milky white perennial that doesn’t produce chlorophyll or team up with the sun for photosynthesis?

Their tubular stems, less than a foot tall, are crowned by a curving, pipe-like flower. You’ll find them in shaded environments, in rich moist soil with an ample supply of leaf litter. Ghost pipes have also branched out into the world of literature, starring on the cover of the first edition of “Poems” by Emily Dickinson.

But poetry aside, you may wonder how these plants fuel their growth without the power of photosynthesis. According to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, “it obtains energy through myco-heterotrophy — a relationship where plants obtain food through parasitism rather than photosynthesis. This plant relies on a large network of roots and fungi to ‘steal’ energy from surrounding plants.”

This perennial wildflower has a “wide geographic distribution throughout the United States, from Maine to California and from Florida to Alaska. It is absent from the southwest, intermountain west and the central Rocky Mountains,” according to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Despite the widespread distribution, they are not commonly encountered, says the USFS.

Popping up in Harwich

Connor O’Brien, Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Director of Land Stewardship, said he sees ghost pipes in most of HCT’s pine/oak woods properties. Recently, he spied the pale parasites at Pleasant Bay Woodlands and Cornelius Pond Woodlands. Contributors to the iNaturalist website have reported ghost pipe sightings throughout Barnstable County, including an Aug. 2 sighting near the shores of Pleasant Bay in Harwich.

While intriguing and beautiful, ghost pipes are true wildflowers and too finicky to add to gardens. “Its specific requirements and (parasitic) ways make it all but impossible to cultivate,” reported the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

But for visitors to HCT properties, there’s a reasonable chance of encountering one of these woodsy white wonders. We suggest you greet the ghost pipes with a friendly “Boo!”

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