Monotropaceae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monotropaceae was a small family of flowering plants under the old Cronquist system of plant classification. It included the eight genera Allotropa, Hemitomes, Monotropa, Monotropsis, Pityopus, Pleuricospora, Pterospora, Sarcodes.
Recent genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has however demonstrated that these genera are better placed in the family Ericaceae. Before this, it was sometimes also placed under Pyrolaceae.
All monotropes are myco-heterotrophs, meaning that they contain no chlorophyll and therefore do not get their food from photosynthesis, but instead derive nutrients from parasitizing fungi.
