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Mervyn Singh
Professor Tanner
Biology 1030
April 25, 2016
Parasitic Plants
What are parasitic plants? Parasitic plants are plants that get some or all of their nutrients
they need for survival from another organism using a haustorium. A haustorium is a modified
root that forms a morphological and physiological link between the parasite and host. Most
parasitic plants are dicots. The haustorium connects into the xylem and/or phloem of another
plant. Thus allowing the parasite plant to take water and nutrients from its host. Although some
parasitic plants are weeds, the vast majority are benign and often go unnoticed by the casual
observer. Some of the most spectacularly beautiful flowers that exist in nature can be found in
the showy mistletoe family (Loranthaceae)

Evolutionary Development of Parasitic Plants

The number of times parasitism has evolved in flowering plants has long been debated. The
closest non-parasitic relatives for a number of lineages have been known for some time:
Cassytha with Lauraceae, "Lennoaceae" with Ehretiaceae/Boraginaceae, Orobanchaceae with
"Scrophulariaceae" in the traditional sense, and Cuscuta with Convolvulaceae.What evolutionary
conditions might favor the development of parasitism in plants? Root parasitism confers certain
advantages, especially for annual plants. When the parasite seedling forms a haustorium, it
obtains a mature, functioning root system by "assuming" the root system of its host plant. Does it
"cost less" for the parasite to form a haustorium on an existing root system rather than produce

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one of its own? Resource allocation studies of parasites might help answer this question.
Facultative hemiparasites have transpiration rates higher than their hosts, and so they prefer
open, sunny areas. But these areas also often have dense groundcover vegetation and competition
for resources in the rhizosphere is great. These conditions could have favored the evolution of
root parasitism.

Stem Parasites
Stem parasites as you can guess are plants that derive their nutrients from the stem of
another plant. An example of a stem parasite is Cuscuta, commonly known as dodder, are among
the best known of all parasitic plants. They will take hosts of a variety of different plants but for
some reason they dont prefer monocots. The mistletoe is also an example of a stem parasite as
it attaches to other plants and takes water and nutrients from that respective plant. Stem parasites
are usually obligate parasites as they rely on their host to keep them alive for their entire life.
They use pollinators as well as other organisms to disperse their seeds to the stems of many
plants.

Root Parasites
An example of a root parasite is the Indian paintbrush (Castilleja, Scrophulariaceae).
Root parasites typically have their seeds distributed close to the roots of other plants. The seeds
germinate using chemical signals they receive from the soil. The plant witchweed (Striga
asiatica) can only grow 4mm after germination. For that reason the seeds need to find a host
very quickly after germination. The seeds follow a concentration gradient of different

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compounds that help them reach the host. These compounds are called strigolactones.
Strigolactone stimulates ethylene biosynthesis in seeds causing them to germinate.

Hemiparasites
Hemiparasites attack the host plants xylem. They take water and nutrients and also a
good amount of carbon. They do however get some carbon from their own photosynthetic
activity. Some root hemiparasites can actually grow to maturity in the absence of a host plant,
and hence are termed facultative hemi-parasites. Others, such as the mistletoes, must attach to a
host in order to complete their life cycle and are thus referred to as obligate hemiparasites.
Mistletoes usually exhibit photosynthetic characteristics more typical of shade plants, i.e., low
mean CO2 assimilation rates, low electron transport rate , low light saturation point and low
chlorophyll a/b ratio18 despite experiencing favorable light conditions high in the canopy. In
addition, seedlings of obligate root hemiparasites (e.g., Striga.) are achlorophyllous and hence
completely dependent on the host. A common hemiparasite is Sandalwood. There are about 16
species of Sandalwood. The most well-known and economically important species is Santalum
album, or Indian sandalwood. Indian sandalwood has the highest oil content (6 to 7%) and a
desirable aroma profile. It germinates and attaches to the root of another plant. However when
it becomes more mature it relies more on its own photosynthetic activity to provide nutrients for
itself.

Holoparasite
Holoparasites attack both the xylem and phloem of its host. It is entirely dependent on the host
plant for its survival. They use very little if any photosynthetic properties. Certainly, no

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treatment of parasitic plants would be complete without mention of Rafflesia, the queen of the
parasites. This holoparasite has no stems, leaves, or roots but exists within the host vine
(Tetrastigma, Vitaceae) as a fungal-like mycelium until flowering. At that time, the flower
emerges from the host as a small, golf-ball sized bud and continues to grow until it is the size of
a cabbage. Eventually it opens as a flower that may exceed 1 meter in diameterthe largest
flower in the world. The spotted red flower has five leathery petals surrounding a deep cup that
exudes a stench like that of rotting flesh, thus attracting flies (the pollinators). All species of
Rafflesia are endangered owing to habitat loss in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is
still easily the coolest parasitic plant.

Source: www.rafflesiaflower.com

Conclusion
Parasitic plants are fascinating to me. Most dont rely on what I thought was the key
aspect of being a plant, photosynthesis. I was born in Fiji. Fiji is known for many thing but they
have a lot of farmers who plant Sandalwood. As a kid I saw that the farmers would start out by
planting things like tomatoes or chili peppers and then taking the seeds of the Sandalwood and
planting them near the root of these plants. Then I got to see how as the Sandalwood got bigger

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it would take light and other nutrients from the host plant and eventually the host plant would
die. The Sandalwood then relied mostly on its own photosynthetic activity to provide for itself.
A family friend of ours showed us his plantation of Sandalwood which was probably worth over
1,000,000 Fijian dollars. The world relies on some parasitic plants for different things.
Cistanche deserticola is used for food and medicine in China. Many produce beautiful flowers
that are unique to the world.

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Works Cited

Nickrent, Daniel L.. "Parasitic Plants." Plant Sciences. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 25 Apr. 2016
<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
IUC / College of Science / The Parasitic Plant Connection / Using PPC
< http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/UsingPPC.html>