Figures 5 and 6. The normal (left) and yellow (right) forms of 
the Spotted Coralroot, both from Gatineau Park. Note the ab¬ 
sence of spots and of dark tips on the sepals and lateral petals 
in the flowers on the right. 
Absence of Chlorophyll 
The final colour variation to report is the complete lack 
of the green pigment, chlorophyll. While the loss of anthocyan- 
in is probably not too significant to a plant, aside from a 
possible reduction in the chance of being pollinated, the loss 
of chlorophyll would usually be much more serious. It is chlo¬ 
rophyll which allows a plant to absorb light from the sun and so 
to obtain the energy necessary for the complex chemistry of 
growth. A plant lacking chlorophyll ought to be unable to grow, 
but we know a few such species which routinely develop flowers 
and produce seed. The most familiar is the Indian Pipe, but the 
Coralroots discussed above are other examples. 
These species, which lack significant leaves as well as 
chlorophyll, have obviously worked out other ways to survive. 
Essentially, the chemicals that these plants cannot make for 
themselves are obtained from a fungus in the soil at the roots 
of the plant. Many green plants also interact with a fungus but 
are not so completely dependent upon it. Many orchids require 
such a fungus for their seeds to germinate, but in the case of 
the green ones, dependence on the fungus would decrease as they 
mature. From these observations, it would be difficult to 
predict whether a normally green plant could survive with the 
aid of the fungus if it failed to produce chlorophyll. 
77 
