Sugarstick: The Mysterious Ghost Plant You Can’t (And Shouldn’t) Grow
Have you ever stumbled across something in the forest that looks like it belongs in a fairy tale? Meet the sugarstick (Allotropa virgata), one of nature’s most peculiar and fascinating plants. With its candy cane-striped stems rising ghostlike from the forest floor, this perennial forb is guaranteed to stop you in your tracks – but don’t get any ideas about bringing it home to your garden!
What Makes Sugarstick So Special?
Sugarstick is what botanists call a mycoheterotroph – basically, it’s a plant that has given up on photosynthesis and instead steals its nutrients from fungi in the soil. This parasitic lifestyle gives it an otherworldly appearance, with white to pale pink stems marked by distinctive reddish-brown stripes that really do resemble old-fashioned candy sticks or barber poles.
As a forb (a non-woody flowering plant), sugarstick lacks the typical green leaves you’d expect from most plants. Instead, it produces scale-like structures along its striking stems, which can reach heights of 1-4 feet when conditions are just right.
Where Does Sugarstick Call Home?
This remarkable plant is native to the Pacific Northwest and mountain regions of western North America. You’ll find sugarstick growing naturally in British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. It’s particularly fond of old-growth coniferous forests, where it emerges from deep, acidic soils rich with the specific fungi it depends on for survival.
Why You Can’t Grow Sugarstick (And Why That’s Okay)
Here’s where we break some hearts: sugarstick is virtually impossible to cultivate in home gardens. This isn’t just a matter of being difficult to grow – it’s more like trying to keep a deep-sea creature in your bathtub. Here’s why:
- It requires very specific mycorrhizal fungi partnerships that exist only in undisturbed forest ecosystems
- The plant needs the precise soil chemistry and microclimate of old-growth forests
- It’s adapted to extremely specific light, temperature, and humidity conditions
- Attempting to transplant or propagate it almost always results in the plant’s death
Growing Conditions in the Wild
In its natural habitat, sugarstick thrives in:
- Deep shade under dense forest canopies
- Cool, consistently moist conditions
- Acidic, well-draining forest soils
- Areas with minimal soil disturbance
- USDA hardiness zones 6-9 (though ecosystem requirements matter more than temperature)
The Role of Sugarstick in Forest Ecosystems
While you can’t grow sugarstick in your garden, understanding its role helps us appreciate the complexity of forest ecosystems. This plant serves as an indicator species – its presence suggests a healthy, mature forest with well-established fungal networks. When you spot sugarstick during a forest hike, you’re looking at a sign of ecological health that took decades or centuries to develop.
Wildlife and Pollinator Benefits
Sugarstick’s relationship with wildlife is somewhat limited but interesting. Small insects may visit its flowers, though the plant is largely self-pollinating. Its primary ecological value lies in being part of the complex web of relationships that support overall forest biodiversity.
Appreciating Sugarstick Responsibly
The best way to enjoy sugarstick is to:
- Observe and photograph it in its natural habitat
- Never attempt to dig up or transplant wild specimens
- Support forest conservation efforts that protect old-growth ecosystems
- Consider it a special treasure when encountered on forest walks
What to Grow Instead
If you’re drawn to unusual native plants for your garden, consider these alternatives that are actually cultivable:
- Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) for groundcover in shady areas
- Coral root orchids for unusual flowering plants (though also challenging)
- Native ferns that thrive in forest-like garden conditions
- Trilliums and other woodland wildflowers
While we can’t bring sugarstick into our gardens, we can create spaces that support the kinds of complex, interconnected relationships that make plants like this possible. By growing native plants, avoiding chemicals, and maintaining healthy soil ecosystems, we’re supporting the broader web of life that includes fascinating species like sugarstick.
Sometimes the best way to love a plant is to leave it exactly where nature intended it to be – thriving in the mysterious, magical world of the old-growth forest.
