About Pholisma sonorae (Torr. ex A.Gray) Yatsk.
Pholisma sonorae is a perennial herb that grows in sand dunes. Its fleshy stem can extend up to two meters (six feet) below the sand surface, and emerges above ground as a small rounded or ovate structure. If enough sand blows away to expose the upper part of the stem, the plant can have a somewhat mushroom-like appearance. It is a parasitic plant that gets nutrients by attaching to the roots of various desert shrubs, including wild buckwheats, ragweeds, plucheas, Tiquilia plicata, and Tiquilia palmeri. As a heterotroph, Pholisma sonorae does not contain chlorophyll, and its color ranges from grayish and whitish to brown. The surface of the plant bears small glandular, scale-like leaves. It is speculated that this species absorbs water through the stomata in its leaves, rather than taking it from its host plants. Pholisma sonorae produces flowers that are around one centimeter wide; the flowers are pink to purple with white edges. This plant was an important food source for certain desert-dwelling Native American groups, including the Cocopah and the Hia C-eḍ O'odham.
