Certainly, no 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 diameter—the 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.
see also Endangered Species; Epiphytes; Fungi; Interactions, Plant-Plant; Mycorrhizae; Record-Holding Plants.
Certainly, no 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 diameter—the 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.see also Endangered Species; Epiphytes; Fungi; Interactions, Plant-Plant; Mycorrhizae; Record-Holding Plants.
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