July 15,   Stony Brook Reservation, Boston
Shinleaf family is a small group that is now placed within Ericaceae . Its members, pipsissewas and shinleaves, are as much dependable upon mycorrhizae as any Ericaceae , and even more so. And members of another small, closely related family, Monotropaceae , have ultimately lost all of chlorophyll and developed complete dependence upon symbiotic fungi. Pipsissewas, sort of, have gone half way. Photo credit Luba Batuner