From Greek monos, “one,” and tropos, “direction,” since flowers always turn to the same side or, according to another source, referring to the sharp curve in the stem
Pinesap is a North American native.
How does a pale cream-colored (reddish or brown in the fall) plant get its energy? It isn't green (or purple), so
it cannot perform photosynthesis. Instead, it saphrophytic—it obtains energy from decaying plant matter
and from mycelia, the underground rootlike network of fungi. It is found on
shaded forest floors where its ability to thrive without light gives it an advantage. These are called
pinesap because they favor the acid soil of pine forest floors.
Identification: Plants reach 4-12″ (10-30 cm) in height, unfolding
like fiddleheads from the ground. Flowers are cream-colored, about ¼-½″ (6.3-12 mm) in size, bell shaped,
in clusters of about a dozen, atop a pale leafless stem. Actually there are alternate leaves, but they are small (about ¼″ (6.3 mm)), closely
attached to the stem, and triangular in shape. In the fall, plants may be tinged with bright
red. Flowers appear in June-October.
