The flowering plant shown above is called an Indian pipe. It could be mistaken for a fungus. Write down how the plant is similar to and different from other plants you know.

Not a typical flower

Explanation:

The Indian pipe plant (Monotropa uniflora) is a herbaceous plant with a life cycle of about two years. This plant unlike a typical plant is white on all the above ground plants. The petals are not showy and open but turned down and bell- shaped. The leaves are not green and ovoid shaped but are not visually obvious. The plant is about 12 inches tall and only produces a single flower. Unlike most flowers that are pleasantly scented this flower has the smell of rotting corpse. While a most plants are green the most impressive feature of this plant is that it does not produce any chlorophyll and therefore does not depend on photosynthesis. Like all other flowers it does produce fruit and seeds.