What is "monotropa"

Monotropa \Mo*not"ro*pa\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. mo`nos single + ? turn, from ? to turn.] (Bot.) A genus of parasitic or saprophytic plants including the Indian pipe and pine sap. The name alludes to the dropping end of the stem.

Monotropa is a genus of 5 species of herbaceous perennial plants, formerly classified in the family Monotropaceae, but now included within the Ericaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, but are generally scarce or rare.

Unlike most plants, they do not contain chlorophyll; they are myco-heterotrophs, getting their food through parasitism upon fungi rather than photosynthesis. Thus they are capable of living in very dark conditions, such as the floor of deep forests, because they do not need any sunlight.

• Monotropa hypopitys
• Monotropa uniflora