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Fungus or plant? White pine-cone shaped

16 years ago

Found this plant May 20, 2007 in Hoffmaster park in west Michigan. Each stalk is 3/4 inches wide, about 4 inches tall. Some stalks were 1 inch wide. It looks like a white pine cone. These grow in bunches and I saw no fewer than 8 bunches in the woods just at this one campsite area.

My flower book says an Indian pipestem is similar, but I saw an Indian pipestem as a kid and that had a 1/8 inch stalk, only 4 inches high when blooming.

This thing is clearly not blooming, it is in the early stages of growth.

Picture:

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Comments (5)

carol23_gw
16 years ago
It might be a parasitic plant, Conopholis americana.

Here is a link that might be useful: Conopholis americana
fredsbog
16 years ago
Carol is correct, it is squaw root. Your book is also correct, in that both squaw root and indian pipes are in the same family, Orobanchaceae. Squaw root is parasitic on the roots of oak trees, and is extremely common in the woods in Northeaster Ohio at this time of Year.
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Thanks to all of you for trying to help. The seed does not have that hard shiny coat like a centeaurea has, but is instead white and sort of papery with definite "angles" on the bullet shape - like an coneflower seed. I think Vera is probably right...the trader probably meant to write "pink" and wrote "Pine" instead. I am going to WS them and we'll see!!! Thanks again! Nancy
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Terry: I have a couple of big beautiful ones that I got in the Angeles National Forest when I was a student at UCLA in the '60's. I love them--they are the most spectacular pine cone I know (resin, do you know of any others bigger or heavier, with such amazing spines??). Anyway, I sympathize, but I can't (won't) help. I love mine too much. I have the biggest on a shelf in our "office," along with the biggest sugar pine cone I found in all my years of hiking in the Sierras. But the coulter pine come is the most amazing. Get any one you can, but they vary a lot in size. I don't have it with me now--I am at my timberland--but mine is about the size of a football, although at the widest part probably a bit thicker, and of course the stem end is very broad. Mine is not quite complete--to collect a complete cone you have to climb a tree and cut one down, and that is not easy--they are typically only near the branch ends on the upper part of the tree. Typically they only fall from a tree when the cone breaks just past the stem, leaving a few scales--at least that seemed to be the case where I was collecting. Anyway, if you find any to buy, check carefully on the size--I think the largest should be about 12 inches or longer--I can't remember exactly how large mine is. It may be a bit longer. But it is just plain massive and heavy, like it was made of some kind of strong wood. I just Googled Coulter pine cone and there is a place that sells pine cones--conesdirect.com. Good luck! --Spruce
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Comments (1)
Looks like Hesperis matronalis.
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car59ma
14 years ago
We have these in a deep purplish/pink color on the forest floor of our property. They grow under the Madrone trees. We have oaks on the property, but these don't grow under them. I loved seeing them come up, but didn't know they may harm the trees. Should we try to knock some of them out? (We don't use poison on anything here) This is the first internet source I have found for any information on these at all - I know I'm not in a similar region as the original post. However, the photo shows an identical plant to the one we have (just a different color). What family of plants do these belong to? Are they a fungi or succulent, or are they in a category of their own? Are they identified by the fact they take their nutrients off of another plant (the roots of the tree)? Thanks.
joepyeweed
14 years ago
They are harmless.

Though called parasitic, I wouldn't doubt there is more of a symbiotic relationship than a parasitic one.
lycopus
14 years ago
car59ma,

Squawroot is only found in the eastern U.S. and only on oaks. Based on your description it is probably California groundcone (Boschniakia strobilacea) or another species of Boschniakia growing under the madrones. Same family, Orobanchaceae.

These are parasitic plants that lack chlorophyll and have leaves reduced to scale-like structures. Although they get all their nutrition from the tree, they should not do any harm. Consider the size of these plants in relation to the tree.

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