Woodland Pinedrops

Pterospora, commonly known as pinedrops, woodland pinedrops, Albany beechdrops, or giant bird's nest, is a North American genus in the subfamily Monotropoideae of the heath family, and includes only the species Pterospora andromedea. It grows as a mycoheterotroph (relying on fungi rather than photosynthesis for nutrients) in coniferous or mixed forests. It is widespread across much of Canada as well as the western and northeastern United States to Mexico. Along with Monotropa it is one of the more frequently encountered genera of the Monotropoideae.^[2][3]

The visible portion of Pterospora andromedea is a fleshy, unbranched, reddish to yellowish flower spike (raceme) 15–170 cm (6–67 in) in height,^[4] though it has been reported to occasionally attain a height of 2 meters (6.6 feet).^[5] The above-ground stalks (inflorescences) resemble an emerging asparagus spear in shape and are usually found in small clusters between June and August.^[6][7] The inflorescences are hairy and noticeably sticky to the touch. This is caused by the presence of hairs which exude a sticky substance (glandular hairs). The inflorescences are covered by leaves that have been reduced to scale-like structures known as bracts that are 2–3.5 centimeters long and 0.5–1 centimeter wide.^[4] The lower portion of the flowering stem is tightly covered in bracts and they become more widely spaced higher on the stalk.^[8]