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Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Cranichideae
Genus:	Spiranthes
Species:	S. ochroleuca
Binomial name
*Spiranthes ochroleuca* (Rydb.) Rydb.^[1]
Synonyms
Gyrostachys ochroleuca Rydb. (basionym) Ibidium ochroleucum (Rydb.) House Triorchis ochroleuca (Rydb.) Nieuwl. Ibidium cernuum var. ochroleucum (Rydb.) House Triorchis cernua var. ochroleuca (Rydb.) Farw. Spiranthes steigeri Correll

Spiranthes ochroleuca, commonly called the yellow nodding lady's tresses,^[2] is a species of orchid occurring from southeastern Canada to the eastern United States.

Distribution and habitat

Spiranthes ochroleuca is native in eastern Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island), throughout the Northeastern United States, and in the southeastern United States (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).^[1] Its habitats include open woodlands, thickets, meadows, barrens, ledges, outcrops, banks and roadsides

Yellow Lady's Tress's Orchid 700 Yellow Lady's Tress's Orchid 701 Yellow Lady's Tress's Orchid 702 Yellow Lady's Tress's Orchid 703

Monotropa uniflora, also known as the American Indian ghost pipe plant (shortened to ghost plant, ghost pipe, American Indian pipe, or Indian pipe), is a herbaceous, parasitic, non-photosynthesizing, perennial flowering plant native to North America, Latin America, and East Asia but with large gaps between areas.^[1]^[2] The plant is waxy white, but some specimens have been described as having black flecks or pale pink coloration.^[3] Rare variants may have a deep red color. The name "Monotropa" is Greek for "one turn" and "uniflora" is Latin for "one flowered" as there is one sharply curved stem for each single flower. M. uniflora is commonly found growing in clumps of 2 or more, with its fungal source nearby.

Description

The stems reach heights of 5–30 centimetres (2–12 in), sheathed with highly reduced leaves 5–10 millimetres (3⁄16–3⁄8 in) long, best identified as scales or bracts. These structures are small, thin, and translucent; they do not have petioles but instead extend in a sheath-like manner out of the stem.

As its scientific name suggests, and unlike the closely related Monotropa hypopitys (but like Monotropastrum humile), the stems bear a single flower 10–20 mm (3⁄8–13⁄16 in) long, with 3–8 translucent petals, 10–12 stamens and a single pistil.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] It flowers from early summer to early autumn, often a few days after rainfall. The fruit, an oval capsule-like structure, enlarges and becomes upright when the seeds mature. After maturity the stem and capsule appear desiccated, and dark brown or black with a brittle texture.

The seeds of M. uniflora are small, ranging between 0.6–0.8 mm (3⁄128–1⁄32 in) in length.^[8] Once the plant has been pollinated, the seeds are pushed through the petals in a tiny slit and dispersed via wind methods.

Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll.^[9] Instead of generating food using the energy from sunlight, it is parasitic, and more specifically a mycoheterotroph. Its hosts are in the Russulaceae family.^[9] Most fungi are mycorrhizal, meaning that they grow symbiotically in association with tree roots. Through the fungal web of mycorrhizae, the M. uniflora roots ultimately sap food from where the host fungi are connected to the photosynthetic trees. The clustered node roots of this plant are covered in hairs called cystidium. The cystidia found on these roots allow easy attachment to fungi hyphae, such as can be seen in ectomycorrhiza.^[10] Since it is not dependent on sunlight to grow, it can grow in very dark environments like in the understory of dense forests.^[11] The complex relationship that allows this plant to grow makes propagation difficult.