jvj

Julie,

Your Ghostbells look like Monotropa uniflora, aka 'Indian Pipe', aka 'Ghost Plant'.


pfly's Flickr page has some cool info and 5 pics of this apparent parasite.
pfly's note on 'wolf urine' is of special interest, or at least makes it sound like a parasite/fungi that might be found in the clanholds.

Please let me know if you think this is the same plant.

thx!

Dave




http://www.flickr.com/photos/pfly/203452818/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pfly/203681610/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pfly/203576161/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pfly/203576160/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pfly/203530234/


pfly's entry on flickr:

"I've wanted to see this kind of flower ever since I heard about them a
few years ago, and today I found two patches in the woods at Deception
Pass State Park, yay.
One of a small number of flowering plants that have given up on the
photosynthesis thing, Monotropa uniflora (Indian-pipe, Ghost plant) is
apparently a parasite, via its roots, upon underground mycorrhizal fungi,
which in turn have a symbiotic relationship with tree roots. The monotropa flower gets its energy from the tree, by way of the fungi, all
underground. I think there are only one or two other flowers that are so
purely white.

Also, apparently monotropa is quite specific about which fungi it
parasitizes -- Russula and Lactarius. There seems to be differing
information about whether it is of the Ericaceae family or the
Monotropaceae family. The USDA Plants database says Monotropaceae. My field guide book and wikipedia say Ericaceae. And this page says Ericaceae family, but Monotropoideae sub-family.

The plant used to be called "saprophytic", meaning it derived energy from
dead decaying matter, but that turned out to be false. They are more
properly called myco-heterotrophic.

My field guide book notes: "In the Straits Salish and Nlaka'pamux
languages, the name for Indian-pipe means 'wolf's urine'; it is associated
with wolves and is said to grow wherever a wolf urinates."

Dave,

Excellent plant-spotting skills. It looks like we have a match. Monotropa Uniflora...interesting.

And of course you're right: I will use it in Book IV.

Thanks,
julie

I sometimes wonder if the naming convention for the scientific folks who name things has a part about "choosing the most bland, boring vanilla name you can think of and make sure it sounds nothing like what the thing looks like!"

Then again, thats the beauty of writing Fantasy. Whatever name your heart desires to call the 'ghostbells' in book IV, that will be the correct and true name, and there will not be a debate about it in the science auditorium!!!

I'm off to the coffee shop, I just started bookIII on Sunday and can't seem to put it down for long!

thx Jv, your creativity is much appreciated.

Dave

From Wikipedia

"Monotropa uniflora, also known as the Ghost Plant, Indian Pipe, or Corpse Plant"

So both Jv and Dave were spot on.
Apparently grows in Asia, North and South America, but it is considered very rare. So hats off to Julie for a brilliant find and to Dave for actually knowing what it was!

Ghostbells is right. I don't mean to sound like a botanical philistine, but if I found one of those growing in my back garden I'd freak-out!

-Paul