National Park Service Klamath Network Featured Creature U.S. Department of the Interior
Natural Resource Stewardship & Science Klamath Network Sugarstick June 2015 Allotropa virgata
Field Notes General Description found in old-growth. Sugarstick can be found along the coast up to Allotropa virgata gets its common elevations of approximately 3000 m names (sugarstick or candystick) (9800 ft). The Forest Service has from the distinct red and white identified sugarstick as a sensitive stripes running up its stem. This species, with threats from habitat perennial plant’s flowers are white, fragmentation and soil disturbances pink, or brown and are arranged in a from forest management, recreation, terminal spike-like raceme; they have and livestock grazing. five sepals but no petals, with prominent reddish stamens visible Where to find in the Klamath when the flowers bloom in early- to Network mid-summer. They often occur as a Sugarstick can be found in closed cluster of flowering stalks. After they canopy forests at Crater Lake, dry out and die, the brownish stalks Lassen Volcanic, and Redwood. remain for a good time afterwards. To differentiate this plant from pinedrops, which is also reddish and persists long after dying, remember Candy-cane like stripes of Allotropa virgata. that sugarstick’s flowers open Photo Justin Rohde outwards from the stem, as opposed https://www.flickr.com/photos/forestfreedom/206 to downwards as in pinedrops. No 2737287 part of the plant is green since it has no chlorophyll and does not photosynthesize.
Ecology If you’re a Matsutake mushroom fan, you might already be familiar with this plant. Sugarstick gets its nutrients and carbohydrates exclusively from Matsutake mycelium (which associate with the roots of both the sugarstick and the roots of Sugarstick flowers have prominent red nearby conifer or hardwood trees). Range of Allotropa virgata. Photo: USDA Plants stamens. Photo © Nancy Cotner Database. Sugarstick seeds rely on this
mycorrhizal association to even start More Information Habitat and Distribution germinating. However, mushroom http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/surveyandm hunters raking and digging in the duff Sugarstick is an endemic western anage/MR/VascularPlants/section1.htm# NATURAL%20HISTORY may cause soil compaction that can North America species ranging from California to British Columbia. Its harm the mycorrhizal networks, thus http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of- harming sugarstick populations. preferred habitats are mature and the-week/allotropa_virgata.shtml Bumblebees also love Allotropa moist closed canopy forests
virgata for the nectar pools that (coniferous, mixed, or tanoak) with accumulate near its flowers’ ovaries. plenty of decaying woody plant debris. Its largest populations are
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICATM June 30, 2015