Sunday, April 10, 2011

Guess Who Plant?


This mysterious plant caught my eye yesterday as I walked along the farmers fields to the allotment. It was growing by a stone wall that was at the top of some long uncut grass, a farmers field. There is a row of these leafless plants growing just by the wall that seperates the field from the path.

I wandered if they were Orchids growing from an underground root?

It almost looks like white flowers on a brown body? Does anyone know what it is?

I love a good mystery, and an unknown plant always gets me thinking.

3 comments:

Jean Campbell said...

If it isn't a fungus/mushroom, then my best guess is that it belongs to the order Ericales. Maybe some relation of carnivorous Pitcher Plants and chlorophyll-less Indian Pipes? The stem is reminscent of the Pinesaps Monotropa hypopitys that I used to see at woods' edge here.

http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cp/PDF/EvolutionEricales.pdf

It's a place to start, anyway.

sutipite said...

Hi! It seems to "zsurló" in hungarian :) Here are some links:
http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/konyvek/novenytan/novenytan-16 (sorry, it's in hungarian language)
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=zsurl%C3%B3&hl=en&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=9NCiTcSaN8nOsga_-NHiAQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CA0Q_AUoAQ&biw=1422&bih=817

Have a nice day!

David (Snappy) said...

Thanks Nell Jean, it does have the look of the Indian Pipe. That is one of my favourite plants in a woodland setting..
Thanks Sutipite for your links.It is infact a spore releasing part of the Horses Tail.It is a noxious perennial weed that has roots down to six foot.Its impossible to dig out and spread likes wildfire.