Weird looking "red asparagus" (plants, good)

[eskercurve]

Hi everyone, I didn't know if this belonged in the photography section or this one, so I guessed.

While on a hike near Mt. Rainier, I found the strangest looking plant! It was looking like a red asparagus, but instead of it being thoroughly red, it was white with red streaks.



What in the world is this plant?

[J&Em]

Interesting picture. It looks a lot like some forms of fungi (one group would be stinkhorns) but I couldn't find a good example of one like it. The other possibility is a class of plants that are symbiotic with fungi called mycotrophs. The link below shows some of those.

Kuriositas: Amazing Mycotrophs

Wish I could help you more. There may be some help if you check with the bio department of the closest college/university. Many will have someone who knows local fauna and may be able to give you a better ID.