Growing Monotropa uniflora - indian pipe in a closed terrarium system.

[theapodan]

One of my neighbors threw out a cracked 10 gallon glass aquarium the other day. It doesn't hold water, but I figured to try a temperate decidious forest floor ecotone tank. Maybe have some limited mosses and a muchroom and then maybe a larger herbaceous plant providing a "canopy" of sorts.

Although I presume I can propogate mushrooms and mosses relatively simply, I have always found the little clumps of indian pipe interesting, and was wondering if these could possibly be incorporated into the system.

Does anyone have either any experience with this plant or know of any sources from which to read? There doesn't seem to be much scholarly publication on this plant, at least that I could immediately find.

Sorry for cross-posting this, but I figured that the readership would be different between the groups and that the topic applies equally to the scope of both groups, and therefore a cross-posting would be justified. If otherwise, I'm sorry.

Robert the Bearded.

PS: I'm using the google groupes feature to post this, so I don't exactly know how it will turn out.

[Pen]

If you can find seeds, give it a try. Add lot of humus and rotted wood to the base of your container, sprinkle seeds on top. It seems to die after flowering.

Google 'Monotropa uniflora' and got lots of info, here's some links:

[dh321]

To cultivate Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) would require a tree as host and a mycorrhizal fungus to connect the parasitic Indian pipe with the host tree roots. A terrarium would probably not be required as Indian pipe has no need for transpiration because it has no photosynthesis.

There has been quite a bit of research on Indian pipe because of its unusual nutritional mode. However, I am not sure if any researchers have perfected an indoor cultivation method. Perhaps it could be grown on oak or pine seedlings indoors. You might possibly succeed by transplanting an Indian pipe into a pot with some host tree seedlings.

You might try emailing some Monotropa researchers and see of they have perfected a cultivation method. Indian pipe cultivation has some commercial possibilities. I could see a market for potted Indian pipe as a novelty houseplant and for biology teaching.

References

Re: Could Indian pipes have dropped photosynthesis through evolution?

germination and development of the myco-heterotroph Monotropa ... features of mycorrhizal associations in two members of the Monotropoideae, Monotropa uniflora and Pterospora andromedea. and parasitic plants in food chains.