Parasitic plants

Cassytha is unusual among Lauraceae in at least two respects: they are scandent herbaceous plants, and they are obligate parasites. Their stems are thread-like or wiry, and like most twining species, they twine round the host clockwise as seen from the source of growth.

Cuscuta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apodanthes

This holiday favorite inspires smooches, feeds birds, and may help treat cancer. But it also has a dark side.

Explore #216, July 26, 2007 The cousin of Rafflesia

Parasitic nematodes are microscopic, worm-like parasites that live in dark, moist environments and search out, infect and kill over 230 soil-borne insects.

Ghost Plant The Ghost Plant is aptly named. Just imagine walking into a grouping of these in the middle of the night. This is a rare plant that people usually don't find anywhere. The plant does not get food from sunlight; strangely enough this plant feeds off a specific fungi which feed off of trees. Also called the Indian Pipe, this plant can rarely have a red coloration or streaking or sometimes has a pink hue to it as if it had recently eaten something that wandered by.

Root-knot nematodes are microscopic, plant-parasitic roundworms in the genus, Meloidogyne. Normally they exist in sandy soil in hot climates or short winters, but they have spread to our region as well. In Missouri alone 40 species of parasitic nematodes exist. About 2000 plants are susceptible to infection by these nematodes, and they can cause global crop loss. Root-knot nematode larvae infect plant roots that drain the plant’s ability to take up water and sufficient nutrients. Because of…