How to Grow Indian Pipe Flower

About Growing Indian Pipe Wildflower in Your Home Garden

The Indian Pipe Flower is a strange plant indeed. It is a waxy white plant. Sometimes it has black specks, or a light pink coloration. There are no leaves. However, it may have scales. As its name implies, this plant produces flowers, that look like a smoking pipe. Each stem produces a single, pipe-like white flower. It produces fruit that contains seeds for future generations. Indian Pipe Wildflowers bloom from June to September. Also called the “Ghost Plant”, it has tiny, scale-like white leaves, that turn black when the plant gets old. In addition to growing well in dark, naturalized settings, this plant is a good container plant.

The plant is a parasite. It does not produce chlorophyll. So, it relies on other plants for the nutrients it needs. The plant feeds on decaying leaves and other rotting vegetation. It is often mistaken for fungi. Indian Pipe Wildflowers are members of the blueberry family. The plants grow in shady woodlands, in moist, rich soils with lots of decaying plant matter.

Did You Know? Worldwide there are about 3,000 non-photosynthetic flowering plants.

Indian Pipe Plant Specifications

Flower Colors: White

Flowers Bloom: Early Summer to early Autumn.

Plant Height: Two to twelve inches tall.

Native to: Asia, North America, and northern South America.

Light Requirements: Partial to full shade.

Ideal Soil pH: 5.5 – 6.5.

Hardiness Zone: 4 – 11.

Toxicity: Yes. This plant contains glycosides that are toxic to humans and pets.

Botanical Name: Monotropa uniflora

Other names: Ghost Plant, Ghost Flower, Ghost Pipe, Indian Pipe Wildflower

Are Indian Pipe Flowers Edible?

YES and NO!!

This plant contains glycosides which are mildly toxic.

It can only be eaten in moderation. Rumor has it they taste somewhat like asparagus. However, due to its toxicity, we strongly recommend you do not consume it. There are too many other things to eat.

Medicinal Uses for Indian Pipe Flowers

There are a variety of medicinal applications for the Indian Pipe wildflower plant. Among them are:

It is a treatment for malaria and West Nile virus.
Use it to treat convulsions, Epilepsy, and nervous conditions.
Reduces pain from chronic muscle spasms.
It is a respiratory treatment for asthma, bronchitis, coughs, and other respiratory ailments.
Reduces inflammation of bunions, ulcers, warts, and more

Light Requirements

Without a doubt, this Ghost Plant grows best in the darkest, shadiest areas around your home. It does not like direct sunlight at all. However, it tolerates a little light shade.

Indian Pipe Flower Plant Propagation

The flowers release tiny seeds into the wind. This allows the plant to spread far and wide throughout its shaded habitat.

Usually, people do not grow these plants. Those of us who want to grow it can find plants for sale online. Most often someone like you is reading this page because you stumbled upon it in the woods and want to learn more about it.

How to Grow Indian Pipe Wildflowers

Select the shadiest areas of your yard to grow these plants. Plant it where there is plenty of decaying vegetation for it to feed on. The soil underneath should be rich. If not, add plenty of leaf mulch or other rich compost at planting time. It prefers moist, but not wet soil. It tolerates short-term soggy soil. If the soil begins to dry out in mid-summer, water the plant frequently.

With the absence of light and ample dead vegetation to feed upon, your Indian Pipe Flower will thrive without any additional care. Then, in the summer you will be rewarded with small, white flowers, helping to offset the otherwise dark and drab corners of your yard.

How to Grow Indian Pipe Plants in Containers

If your patio or deck is on the shaded side of your home, Indian Pipe Plants are a good candidate to grow in a container or flowerpot. Its unique appearance makes it a great item of conversation. However, keep in mind these plants are mildly toxic. So, keep them away from young children and pets.

Like other container plants, they require a little extra attention than when planted in the ground.

First, purchase Ghost Plants from your local nursery, or online.
Use a flowerpot with drain holes in the bottom. This allows excess water to drain so the roots will not rot.
Place a layer of gravel at the bottom of the container. This helps with drainage.
Next select a rich potting soil. You can also mix in decaying leaves for other dead vegetation.
Keep an eye on the moisture level. Check the plants every day or two, especially in extended periods of hot, dry weather. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. Excess water will drain through the hole in the bottom of the flowerpot.
Nutrients in a flowerpot are limited. So, use fertilizer spikes to feed the plants. Or, apply a light solution of liquid fertilizer every 2 – 4 weeks.
Place the container in the darkest corner of your balcony, deck, or patio.