Fairy Lantern: Strange Plant That Preys On Fungi
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Fairy lanterns are rare, parasitic plants that live underground. They are found mainly in tropical but also in subtropical and temperate regions
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They have colorful flowers that rise above the soil and can have psychedelic shapes
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This strangely beautiful plant, which grows up to 10 cm tall, bears golden, star-shaped flowers that attract the fungus gnats that pollinate it
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The flowers have a hood that looks like a snake's mouth, with inward-pointing hairs that help insects enter
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They also have two holes below the hood that insects can use to escape
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Fairy lanterns are not green and feed on fungal mycelia instead of making their own food through photosynthesis
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They absorb nutrients from fungi like arbuscular mycorrhizal or AM fungi
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Fairy lanterns only briefly break the surface of the soil to flower, and can be hard to spot as they are only a few centimeters tall
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