Pilostyles
Pilostyles
Genus of flowering plants
Pilostyles is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apodanthaceae. It includes about 11 species of very small, completely parasitic plants that live inside the stems of woody legumes.[1][2] Plants of this genus are sometimes referred to as stemsuckers.[3]
The plants completely lack stems, roots, leaves, and chlorophyll. While not flowering, they do not resemble most plants, living entirely inside the host as " [...] a mycelium-like endophyte formed by strands of parenchyma cells that are in close contact to the host vasculature".[4] Their presence is only noticeable when the flowers emerge out of the stems of the host plant.[2]
Pilostyles is dioecious, with separate male and female plants.[5] Male and female plants are not commonly known to inhabit the same host.[6] Flowers are two or three millimeters wide and in some species each female flower can produce over 100 seeds, which are less than 1mm long.[7] [6]
Species are found in several countries, with a discontinuous distribution: species have been found in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, and Australia.[8]
Species include:[1]
- Pilostyles aethiopica Welw.
- Pilostyles berteroi Guill.
- Pilostyles blanchetii (Gardner) R.Br.
- Pilostyles boyacensis F.Gonzáles & Pabón-Mora
- Pilostyles coccoidea K.R.Thiele
- Pilostyles collina Dell
- Pilostyles hamiltonii C.A.Gardner
- Pilostyles haussknechtii Boiss.
- Pilostyles maya P.Ortega, Gonz.-Martínez & S.Vásquez
- Pilostyles mexicana (Brandegee) Rose
- Pilostyles thurberi A.Gray
The genus was formerly considered a member of Rafflesiaceae, and was re-classified after new DNA evidence[9][8]
