Pinedrops
Encyclopedia
Pterospora, commonly known as pinedrops, Albany beechdrops, or giant bird's nest is a monotypic
genus in the subfamily Monotropoidiae of the blueberry family, the Ericaceae
, and includes only the species Pterospora andromedea. It grows in coniferous
or mixed forest
s. It is native to North America
from southern Canada
to the mountains of Mexico
and is most commonly found in the western half of the continent, though small isolated populations are found in the northeastern United States
and eastern Canada. Along with Monotropa
it is one of the more frequently encountered members of the Monotropoidiae.
The genus name is derived from the morphology
of the seeds which have narrow flaps of tissue on the side and therefore appear winged: ptero (Gr.) = winged, spora (Gr.) = seed. The specific name andromedea derives from the resemblance of the flowers to those of another genus in the Ericaceae, Andromeda.
The visible portion of Pterospora andromedea is a fleshy, unbranched, reddish to yellowish flower spike (raceme
) 30-100 cm in height, though it has been reported to occasionally attain a height of 2 meters. The above-ground stalks (inflorescence
s) are usually found in small clusters between June and August. The inflorescences are hairy and noticeably sticky to the touch. This is caused by the presence of hairs which exude a sticky substance (glandular hairs). The inflorescences are covered by scale-like structures known as bracts. The upper portion of the inflorescence has a series of yellowish, urn-shaped flowers that face downward. The fruit is a capsule.
Like all members of the Monotriopoidiae (see Monotropa
), Pterospora andromedea lacks chlorophyll (trace amounts have been identified, but not enough to provide energy for the plant or to color it). Plants exist for most of their life as a mass of brittle, but fleshy, roots. They live in a parasitic relationship with mycorrhiza
l fungi
, in which plants derive all their carbon from their associated fungus, but the relationship is not yet well understood. The term for this kind of symbiosis is mycoheterotrophy. In Pteropspora the association is with a very limited number of fungi in the genus Rhizopogon
, including Rhizopogon subcaerulescens, R. arctostaphyli, and R. salebrosus. A note of caution: unlike plants, fungi are not yet well categorized and so species' names are likely to change frequently as more research is done and Rhizopogon is particularly hard to taxonomically categorize. Pterospora has yet to be discovered with any species outside the genus Rhizopogon.
Pterospora has consistently been shown to be more closely related to Sarcodes than any other member of the Monotropoidiae.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus in the subfamily Monotropoidiae of the blueberry family, the Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, and includes only the species Pterospora andromedea. It grows in coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
or mixed forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s. It is native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to the mountains of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and is most commonly found in the western half of the continent, though small isolated populations are found in the northeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and eastern Canada. Along with Monotropa
Monotropa
Monotropa is a genus of two species of herbaceous perennial plants, formerly classified in the family Monotropaceae, but now included within the Ericaceae...
it is one of the more frequently encountered members of the Monotropoidiae.
The genus name is derived from the morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
of the seeds which have narrow flaps of tissue on the side and therefore appear winged: ptero (Gr.) = winged, spora (Gr.) = seed. The specific name andromedea derives from the resemblance of the flowers to those of another genus in the Ericaceae, Andromeda.
The visible portion of Pterospora andromedea is a fleshy, unbranched, reddish to yellowish flower spike (raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
) 30-100 cm in height, though it has been reported to occasionally attain a height of 2 meters. The above-ground stalks (inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s) are usually found in small clusters between June and August. The inflorescences are hairy and noticeably sticky to the touch. This is caused by the presence of hairs which exude a sticky substance (glandular hairs). The inflorescences are covered by scale-like structures known as bracts. The upper portion of the inflorescence has a series of yellowish, urn-shaped flowers that face downward. The fruit is a capsule.
Like all members of the Monotriopoidiae (see Monotropa
Monotropa
Monotropa is a genus of two species of herbaceous perennial plants, formerly classified in the family Monotropaceae, but now included within the Ericaceae...
), Pterospora andromedea lacks chlorophyll (trace amounts have been identified, but not enough to provide energy for the plant or to color it). Plants exist for most of their life as a mass of brittle, but fleshy, roots. They live in a parasitic relationship with mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
, in which plants derive all their carbon from their associated fungus, but the relationship is not yet well understood. The term for this kind of symbiosis is mycoheterotrophy. In Pteropspora the association is with a very limited number of fungi in the genus Rhizopogon
Rhizopogon
Rhizopogon is a genus of hypogeous Basidiomycetes. Recent micromorphological and molecular phylogenetic study has established that Rhizopogon is a member of the Boletales, closely related to Suillus. All species of Rhizopogon are ectomycorrhizal and are thought to play an important role in the...
, including Rhizopogon subcaerulescens, R. arctostaphyli, and R. salebrosus. A note of caution: unlike plants, fungi are not yet well categorized and so species' names are likely to change frequently as more research is done and Rhizopogon is particularly hard to taxonomically categorize. Pterospora has yet to be discovered with any species outside the genus Rhizopogon.
Pterospora has consistently been shown to be more closely related to Sarcodes than any other member of the Monotropoidiae.