Pilostyles
Encyclopedia
Pilostyles is a genus of flowering plants placed in the family Apodanthaceae
, or alternately, the Rafflesiaceae
. It includes several species of parasitic plant
s that live inside the stems of other plants and produce tiny flowers that burst through the surface of the host plants' tissue. Plants of this genus are sometimes referred to as stemsuckers.
Pilostyles are specialized parasites of woody-stemmed legumes. There are about 20 species. They are perennial herbs that lack roots and chlorophyll
, as they obtain water and nutrients from their hosts. The plants themselves are only a few millimeters wide and live within the host plant tissue, becoming externally visible only when the flowers emerge. The flowers are two or three millimeters wide and in some species each female flower can produce over 100 seeds, which are minute.
Species include:
Apodanthaceae
The family Apodanthaceae comprises 22 to 30 species of endoparasitic herbs. They live in branches or roots of their host , emerging only to flower. The only leaves present are several bracts at the base of each flower. The plants do not carry out any photosynthesis...
, or alternately, the Rafflesiaceae
Rafflesiaceae
Rafflesiaceae is a family of parasitic plants found in east and southeast Asia, including Rafflesia arnoldii, the plant with the largest flower of all plants. The plants are endoparasites of vines in the genus Tetrastigma and lack stems, leaves, roots, and any photosynthetic tissue...
. It includes several species of parasitic plant
Parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant. About 4,100 species in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or...
s that live inside the stems of other plants and produce tiny flowers that burst through the surface of the host plants' tissue. Plants of this genus are sometimes referred to as stemsuckers.
Pilostyles are specialized parasites of woody-stemmed legumes. There are about 20 species. They are perennial herbs that lack roots and chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
, as they obtain water and nutrients from their hosts. The plants themselves are only a few millimeters wide and live within the host plant tissue, becoming externally visible only when the flowers emerge. The flowers are two or three millimeters wide and in some species each female flower can produce over 100 seeds, which are minute.
Species include:
- Pilostyles blanchetii
- Pilostyles hamiltonii
- Pilostyles haussknechtii
- Pilostyles ingae
- Pilostyles strawiaskii
- Pilostyles thurberiPilostyles thurberiPilostyles thurberi is a species of flowering plant known by the common name Thurber's stemsucker. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in desert and woodland...