Again folks on the page pointed me to the right direction to what is called sallow sedge.
According to a post on gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org, the sedge is "an abundant and sometimes weedy species."
Meanwhile back on the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society Facebook page, members pointed to this being a good year for ghost pipes (Monotropa uniflora L.) or Indianpipe. An article by Chantelle DeLay on the U.S. Forest Service's website www.fs.fed.us, described the plant's appearance. "These perennial plants are generally four to eight inches tall, with small scale-like leaves, and white five parted flowers. Plants only have one flower per stem, and flowering occurs roughly from June through September. Stems can be found alone, but are commonly found in small clusters," DeLay posted. DeLay went on to write that the plants do not have the green pigment chlorophyll and how the ghost pipe survives without it. "Chlorophyll is responsible for harnessing the sun’s energy to produce carbohydrates, a process known as photosynthesis. Ghost pipe saps nutrients and carbohydrates from tree roots through an intermediate source, myccorhizal fungi in the genera Russula and Lactarius," DeLay continued. A separate post on the Forest Service's site gave a description of how the flower matures. "Upon emerging from the ground, the flower is pendant (downwardly pointed). As the anthers and stigma mature, the flower is spreading to all most perpendicular to the stem. The fruit is a capsule. As the capsule matures, the flower becomes erect (in line with the stem). Once ripened, seed is released through slits that open from the tip to the base of the capsule. The plant is persistent after seed dispersal," that post said. In the past few weeks, I seemed to have observed it popping up all over the forest floor. There appeared to be more this year than in the past. |