IT emerges from the soil like a mini-plastic Christmas tree in the image of a red Mexican succulent. But it’s not a succulent or even an entire plant and it’s not from Mexico. Rather it’s the flowering stalk of a species closely related to the cranberry, blueberry, azalea and rhododendron and it grows in the Sierra Nevada of California. Apparently called snow plants because they emerge as the snow melts, these stalks were photographed in June along the Sliver Fork Trail in the Sierra Nevada by Aom, a hiking buddy of Larry – a regular commentator at this blog.
The species, Sarcodes sanguinea, has no chlorophyll and so, like most plants, can’t obtain its energy directly from the sun. Instead it is parasitic on fungi that also colonise the roots of pine trees. Experiments with radioactive carbon 14 show that the sugars from the conifer roots enter the fungi and then are transferred into the roots of the snow plant.
So we have a true vascular plants with flowers and seed-bearing capsules, that can’t photosynthesis, instead getting its energy from pine trees via fungi.
Does this all have something to do with being perfectly red?
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Links and Notes
Regional specialization of Sarcodes sanguinea (Ericaceae) on a single fungal symbiont from the Rhizopogon ellenae (Rhizopogonaceae) species complex1
Annette M. Kretzer et al., American Journal of Botany, 2000, http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/87/12/1778
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljune97.htm
http://www.botany.org/parasitic_plants/Sarcodes_sanguinea.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitic_plant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericaceae
http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2009/05/do-tourists-degrade-national-parks/#comments
Thanks Larry!
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Pinedrops occupy a similar niche, but they come out a bit later in the season. Here’s a link for a photo.
http://tinyurl.com/q8dys4
The red is probably due to anthocyanin, a red pigment that is present in many plants and which causes, for example, maple leaves to turn red in the Fall. It is masked in the maple leaf in the Summer by the chlorophyll and only becomes evident when the chlorophyll deteriorates in the Fall.
Larry,
How is it a niche? A problem with describing the plants as filling a niche suggests it is/was mean to be. Rather this red plant that is nourished by fungi is an end result/a consequence of evolution.
Soils rich in fungi tend to be associated with conifers and their role generally in providing all plants, except perhaps grasses, with nutrients is poorly understood.
Dennis Webb wrote:
“How is it a niche? A problem with describing the plants as filling a niche suggests it is/was mean to be. Rather this red plant that is nourished by fungi is an end result/a consequence of evolution.”
Sorry, I don’t understand the question. Here’s how my dictionary defines niche:
“Ecology a position or role taken by a kind of organism within its community. Such a position may be occupied by different organisms in different localities, e.g., antelopes in Africa and kangaroos in Australia.”
Major premise: A consequence of this definition is that position in a food chain is one aspect of a niche.
Minor premise: Pinedrops occupy a position on their local food chain. Why? Because they get certain nutrients from fungi.
Conclusion: Therefore pinedrops are nicheless?
“is/was mean to be” This sounds more philosophical than scientific. My use of the word “niche” was in its garden-variety scientific sense.
Where I live, we have Dipodia orchids that develop in the same way.
They have no leaves, do not photosynthesise and use fungi from tree roots.
They come up in a single stalk and develop a cluster of small, attractive orchids.
The two that occur here are Dipodium varigatum and Dipodium punctatum.
They’ve finished now but next spring I’ll send you a photo.
I found a good photo of one of these “saprophytic” Dipodia. The punctatum has a black stalk.
http://www.ourshopfront.com/kabi/Natives/Dipodium%20variegatum.php
Larry, apparrently California is home to most of these saprophytes.
http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/lifeforms/saprophyticplants/index.html
Oh, BTW, those anthocyanins constitute much of the potent flavinoid antioxidants that make blueberries, acai, and other bright red/purple fruits that are so much in demand as anti-carcinogenic, anti-aging tonics. You should immediately eat any of those plants that you find! 🙂
JAE wrote:
“You should immediately eat any of those plants that you find! :)”
Why do you think that I always carry olive oil and garlic salt on my day-hikes? 😛 Seriously though, it’s my understanding that Snow Plants are classified as rare and endangered. I wouldn’t want Uncle Sam breathing down my neck!
amazing – Larry – what size are those plants?
Most of the Snow Plants that I’ve seen are less than 1 foot tall. The Pinedrops can easily be twice as tall, but they’re considerably narrower.
The Pinedrops can live up to about 8000 feet in the N. Sierras. And they often hang around until late July, a bit longer than the Snow Plants. The Snow Plants usually live in the 5000 – 7000 foot range. If you visit the Lake Tahoe area in early June, you may see some of the Snow Plants.
If you ever visit Tahoe in the Summer, seek out some Jeffrey Pines. They have a distinctive dark reddish bark, with large plates. Find a deep furrow in the bark of a large Jeffrey, poke your nose in, and tell us what you smell. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. And no, it’s not generic pine smell.
With his exotic tastes, I hope that JAE doesn’t sample the young leaves from the endangered Red Cabbage Palms in Finke Gorge, in central Oz!
Larry:
“If you ever visit Tahoe in the Summer, seek out some Jeffrey Pines. They have a distinctive dark reddish bark, with large plates. Find a deep furrow in the bark of a large Jeffrey, poke your nose in, and tell us what you smell. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. And no, it’s not generic pine smell.”
Come on, Larry, give us some more info. I don’t have the time to go down to Tahoe just to sniff the Jeffreys (and the gambling sucks there). Can I do it in Southern Oregon, where I live?
JAE wrote:
“Come on, Larry, give us some more info. I don’t have the time to go down to Tahoe just to sniff the Jeffreys (and the gambling sucks there). Can I do it in Southern Oregon, where I live?”
According to the Wikipedia article, there are Jeffreys in the Siskiyou (spelling?) Mountains, if that’s any help. But they didn’t do a very good job of nailing down the fragrance. On medium-elevation outings, I make a point of asking my hiking companions what the tree smells like to them. Hint: If you sniff a Jeffrey, you’ll think: Do I want to eat it here, or should I take it home with me? 😛