''Pilostyles'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family
Apodanthaceae
The family Apodanthaceae comprises about 10 species of endoparasitic herbs. They live in the branches or stems of their hosts (as filaments similar to a fungal mycelium), emerging only to flower and fruit. The plants produce no green parts and d ...
. It includes about 11 species of very small,
completely parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All Parasite, parasitic plants develop a specialized organ ...
s that live inside the stems of woody
legumes
Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consu ...
.
Plants of this genus are sometimes referred to as stemsuckers.
The plants completely lack stems, roots, leaves, and
chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...
. While not flowering, they do not resemble most plants, living entirely inside the host as "
..a
mycelium
Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...
-like endophyte formed by strands of
parenchyma
upright=1.6, Lung parenchyma showing damage due to large subpleural bullae.
Parenchyma () is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ such as the brain or lungs, or a structure such as a tumour. In zoology, it is the tissue that ...
cells that are in close contact to the host
vasculature
In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart an ...
". Their presence is only noticeable when the flowers emerge out of the stems of the host plant.
''Pilostyles'' is
dioecious
Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...
, with separate male and female plants. Male and female plants are not commonly known to inhabit the same host.
Flowers are two or three millimeters wide and in some species each female flower can produce over 100 seeds, which are less than long.
[Armstrong, W]
Southern California's Most Unusual Wildflower
/ref>Rafflesiaceae
The Rafflesiaceae are a family of rare parasitic plants comprising 36 species in 3 genera found in the tropical forests of east and southeast Asia, including ''Rafflesia arnoldii'', which has the largest flowers of all plants. The plants are e ...
, and was re-classified after new DNA evidence
Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Pilostyles''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6075951
Apodanthaceae
Parasitic plants
Cucurbitales genera
Dioecious plants