bird's-nest

noun

• 1a North American brownish or yellowish flowering plant of the wintergreen family, with scalelike leaves. The bird’s-nest is a saprophyte that lacks chlorophyll. Also called giant bird’s-nest.

  • Pterospora andromeda, family Monotropaceae

• 2 (also bird's-nest fungus) a fungus of worldwide distribution that grows on dead wood and other plant debris. It produces a small bowl-shaped fruiting body that opens to reveal egg-shaped organs containing the spores.

  • Family Nidulariaceae, class Basidiomycetes: several genera and species, including the common Crucibulum levis