Monotropa uniflora, Indian pipe

Monotropa uniflora, also known as the ghost plant, Indian pipe How to grow ? how to create ideal environment to encourage growth ? How to find fungi and seeds for this plant?

 

I used to hike around Haywood Lake (the reservoir created below the Stave Lake dam in Mission) and was very pleasantly surprised to see a "patch" of Indian Pipe appear every spring on the southeast side along the trail (I've kept the exact location a secret from day one). And unless the area has been damage in some way, they should be still be there come spring.......the entire circuit around the lake is 16km so be prepared

And many years before I found this patch I tried bringing back some that I had found growing not far from the old homestead in Prideaux Haven, Desolation Sound Marine Park (up the coast). I brought back as much of the moss and rotted log that it was growing on as possible but unfortunately it did not survive more that a couple of months, and then never returned.

 

These are mycoheterotrophs. In order to survive, they need at least two other organisms growing in proximity: a conifer and a fungus. From my observations, this has always been a conifer of some age (perhaps ~50 years or older). The fungal associates, from what little I've read, would have to be from the Russulaceae.

Once you have those two in place, I suspect direct sowing of the seeds in the soil where the fungal partner resides.