Ghost Pipe

When the plant first emerges from the ground and its flower opens, its flower points downward. As it matures, it gradually straightens until its flower is pointed directly upward.

The ghost pipe, also called the ghost plant or corpse plant, is a perennial wildflower that gets its name from its shape and its pure, pale white colour. Unlike most other plants, this species does not produce chlorophyll, the green pigment used for photosynthesis. As a result, it is completely white (including its stem and scale-like “leaves”) and non-photosynthetic. It obtains energy through myco-heterotrophy — a relationship where plants obtain food through parasitism rather than photosynthesis. This plant relies on a large network of roots and fungi to “steal” energy from surrounding plants.

Text from Nature Conservancy Canada