# small ground-cone (*Kopsiopsis hookeri*) The small ground-cone is a unique plant that looks like a tiny cone sitting on the ground. It has a special way of growing in shady places, making it a little treasure to find in the wild! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Forests ![small ground-cone](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Boschniakiahookeri.jpg&width=800) Photo: Dave Cole, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boschniakiahookeri.jpg) ## Appearance The small ground-cone is a stout, reddish-brown to purplish-brown fleshy stalk emerging directly from the forest floor. It has overlapping, scale-like bracts that give it a distinctive cone-like appearance. Unlike most plants, it totally lacks green leaves, with small, pale yellow or cream tubular flowers emerging from its upper scales. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Lamiales - **Family:** Orobanchaceae - **Genus:** Kopsiopsis ## Interesting facts - It's a relative of snapdragons, even though it looks nothing like them! - It's like a plant vampire, drawing all its food from tree roots! - The small ground-cone never grows green leaves because it doesn't need them! - This amazing plant spends most of its life hidden completely underground. ## Special abilities - **Vampire Plant Power:** Small ground-cone can secretly steal nutrients and water from the roots of host trees, allowing it to grow without making its own food. - **Underground Life:** Small ground-cone has a hidden underground stem that can live for many years, sending up a new stalk only when conditions are just right. - **No Sun Needed:** Small ground-cone can thrive in dark forest understories because it doesn't need sunlight to create food. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 5-15 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Parasitizes:** [Western Hemlock](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-hemlock) (*Tsuga heterophylla*) — obtains nutrients from its roots - **Parasitizes:** [Grand Fir](https://www.snappit.app/explore/grand-fir) (*Abies grandis*) — obtains nutrients from its roots - **Parasitizes:** [Sitka Spruce](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sitka-spruce) (*Picea sitchensis*) — obtains nutrients from its roots ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Nonvascular](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nonvascular): This trait characterizes plants lacking specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) for transporting water and nutrients. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Miniature](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/miniature): Pertaining to species that are significantly smaller than typical or average for their kind. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Don't touch plants unless you know they are safe. Always ask an adult first! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify small ground-cone? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is small ground-cone? 5-15 cm ### How big are the flowers on small ground-cone? 0.5-1 cm ### When does small ground-cone bloom? Late spring to early summer ### Is small ground-cone edible? No ### Is small ground-cone toxic? None ### What is small ground-cone's lifecycle? Perennial ### How is small ground-cone pollinated? Insect ## Where to spot - [Francis Point Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/francis-point-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [South Texada Island Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/south-texada-island-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Koksilah River Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/koksilah-river-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Anderson Bay Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/anderson-bay-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park [View all places to see small ground-cone](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/small-ground-cone) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Small Ground-cone: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/small-ground-cone)