Hypopitys lanuginosa - (image 1 of 3)
Taxonomy
Family: Rubiaceae
Synonymous with Monotropa lanuginosa Michx.
Habitat
Moist to dry woods, mostly in acid soil.
Associates
Parasitic on mycorrhizal fungi, often associated with oaks.
Distribution
Not well understood since it is often lumped with H. monotropa, though recorded from many northeastern states.
Morphology
Mycoheterotrophic perennial; stems 10-30 cm, often clustered, red or pink, pubescent; raceme dense, at first nodding then erect at anthesis; flowers 8-18 mm, the lower usually 4-merous, the terminal often larger and 5-merous; sepals lanceolate, erect, unlike the basally saccate petals; anthers opening by a single cleft into 2 unequal valves; style shorter than the ovary; stigma villous at the margin.
Notes
Flowers mid August to September
Wetland indicator: NA
This species is perhaps not very well demarcated from H. monotropa. These plants were photographed in southern NJ and were just beginning to emerge around the middle of August when the phenologies of the two species overlap. They are also of intermediate color.
References
Gleason, Henry A.
and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States
and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
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Michael Hough © 2018 |