Yellow bird's-nest

Monotropa hypopitys

Also known as Monotropa hypopitys var. rubra, Hypopitys stricta, Hypopitys lanuginosa, Monotropa hypopitys f. subuniflora

Native Plants · Monotropa · Mycoheterotrophic · Parasitic Plant · Woodland · Non-Photosynthetic · Ericaceae · Forest Floor · Specialist · Rare · Wild Plant

Yellow bird's-nest is a non-photosynthetic, mycoheterotrophic plant that cannot be cultivated outside its natural forest habitat, as it depends entirely on specific mycorrhizal fungi associated with conifer or beech tree roots for all its nutrition. It cannot be purchased or grown as a conventional garden plant, making it a botanical curiosity found only in the wild. Encountering it in a shaded woodland is considered a sign of a healthy, undisturbed forest ecosystem.