A Thief in the Forest
Deep in the moist, shaded coniferous forests of the Pacific coast, a strange, leafless plant called Fringed Pinesap (Pleuricospora fimbriolata) pushes through the layer of decomposing needles on the forest floor. Appearing in the summer, this plant grows to a height of only 6 to 12 centimeters, its fleshy stalk a creamy yellow or white color. It has no chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesize to create its own food. Instead, it survives through a three-way relationship.
This plant is a mycoheterotroph, meaning "fungus-other-nourishment." It acts as a parasite on the vast underground networks of mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi normally have a mutually beneficial relationship with trees like pines and firs. The fungi help the trees absorb water and nutrients, and in return, the trees provide the fungi with sugars produced via photosynthesis. Fringed Pinesap inserts itself into this system, tapping into the fungal network and stealing the nutrients that the fungi have acquired from the host tree. Because it parasitizes a parasite (the fungus on the tree), it is sometimes called an epiparasite.