The Fascinating World of Parasitic and Asexual Plants
TL;DR Summary
Balanophora is a rare, parasitic flowering plant that resembles a mushroom, lacks chlorophyll, and relies on host trees for nutrients, with unique reproductive strategies including seed production without fertilization. Recent studies reveal its ancient origins, reduced plastids, and adaptation to island habitats, highlighting its evolutionary significance and vulnerability due to habitat loss.
- This “Mushroom” Isn’t a Fungus at All – It’s One of the Strangest Plants on Earth SciTechDaily
- The evolutionary mysteries of a rare parasitic plant: Shrinking plastids and strange reproductive strategies Phys.org
- Researchers find how plants survive without sunlight or sex ScienceDaily
- Balanophora: The plant that lives by parasitizing other plants Earth.com
- Asexual parasitic plants break biology’s rules Popular Science
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