Snowplant (Sarcodes sanguinea)
Description
There is a group of non-green flowering plants that is related to the heaths (blueberries, cranberries, rhododendrons) and is often included in the heath family (Ericaceae). This group of non-green plants is a subset of the heath family. Let's call them the monotropoids. Are they parasites- Yes, but in an unusual way. The monotropoids were thought to be "saprophytes." A saprophyte lives on dead plant or animal material, but the monotropoids don't do that. They are parasites on fungi, we can call them mycoparasites. But they don't kill the fungi. The fungi infect the short, stubby roots of the monotropoids, and transfer food and water into the roots. The fungi live in the dense litter of dead leaves in wet forests. The most striking of the monotropoids is the snow plant, Sarcodes sanguinea. Sarcodes was called the snow plant because it was thought to come up through the snow. But it really doesn't--it comes up after the snow melts or has mostly melted. It grows in conifer forests of California, and portions of western Nevada and northern Baja California. Some plants of Sarcodes are brilliant red, others are more nearly rose-colored. Why the bright color- Nobody really knows. Such a bright color might attract pollinating insects in the rather shady forest floor areas where the snow plant grows. The flowers point downward. This plant has already formed some young fruits, lower on the stalk, although the youngest flowers, at the top of the stem, are still opening.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Ericales
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Family: Ericaceae
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Genus: Sarcodes
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