Day 273: It's easy to see why Platanthera dilatata earned the nickname "Bog Candles" if you've ever seen one standing in a sun-fleck in dark, moist forest. The flowers are so immaculately white that they seem to shine like a flame in the darkness. The "bog" portion of their common name is quite apt as well, since the plant prefers wet feet. It is a denizen of marshes and ditches where the soil never experiences prolonged periods of dryness. As you might have guessed, it is a member of the Orchid family. There are over 200 species of orchid to be found in the United States, 33 of which belong to the genus Platanthera. Bog Candles can be found throughout the northern states and Canada, with the notable exception of North Dakota where they have not been recorded, according to the USDA. Like most orchids, Platanthera is a facultative mycoheterotroph, which is to say that it is reliant on specific mycorrhizae in the soil to break down nutrients into a form it can uptake. When that fungal component is absent, the plant cannot survive. As I learn more about mycoheterotrophy, it becomes apparent that without fungus, the earth would probably be as dead as Mars.
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