Non-chlorophyll-based plants are fascinating. I remember the first time I found Indian Pipes growing in the woods in northern Minnesota. The one pictured to the right is new to me.
Candystick, like the coralroot, has no chlorophyll; it can't make food from sunlight like the green plants do. It is a mycoheterotroph. (Myco = fungus, hetero = other, different, troph = feeding.) It gets its food from an association with a mushroom that in turn, is attached to the root of a green plant.
Photo credit to Susannah Anderson ("Wandering Weeta"). See also her images of Pink Pinesap (lots of interesting posts about the natural world of the Pacific Northwest at her blog).
Fun fact. This unique and beautiful plant is closely associated with old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. The Clinton administration adopted rules protecting forests where this rare plant was found, but when they realized it would actually have an impact (actually protect forests) they claimed the rule was an accident and rescinded the rule so that logging could continue.
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