Mycoheterotrophs are a type of non-photosynthetic plant that gains some or all of their nutrition from an underground fungus. The term comes from myco (fugus), hetero (other), troph (food). Most plants are autotrophs which create their own food through photosynthesis, these plants exploit a relationship between a fungus and plant for nourishment.

Since these plants feed off of sugars in specific underground fungi, they can be indicators of the mushrooms those fungi produce. Some of these plants grow exclusively near choice edible mushrooms like hedgehogs or matsutake.

Gnome Plant

Hemitomes congestum

Woodland Pinedrops

Pterospora andromedea

Partial Mycoheterotrophs

These plants get a portion of their nutrition from fungi in the ground

Toothed Wintergreen

Pyrola dentata