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stemsucker
Scientific Name: Pilostyles
Family: Rafflesiaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth:
Duration:
Other Names:
Thurber's Stemsucker (Pilostyles thurberi)
Pilostyles thurberi, commonly known as Thurber's stemsucker, is a fascinating parasitic plant found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Pilostyles thurberi A. Gray
- Common Names: Thurber's stemsucker, Thurber's pilostyles, Stemsucker
- Family: Apodanthaceae (formerly sometimes placed in Rafflesiaceae based on older classifications)
- Genus: Pilostyles Guill.
- Rank: Species
- Group: Dicot
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Morphology and Growth Habits
- Pilostyles thurberi is a minute flowering plant.
- It is a holoparasite, meaning it lacks chlorophyll and is completely dependent on its host plant for survival.
- It has no true stem, roots, or leaves.
- Specifically, it is an endoparasite, living within the stem of its host plant, typically Dyeweed (Psorothamnus emoryi).
Ecological Role
- As a parasitic plant, Pilostyles thurberi relies entirely on its host plant for nutrients and support.
- It can be considered an obligate endoparasite because it cannot survive without a host.
Quirky Facts
- Pilostyles thurberi belongs to a genus that contains species on opposite ends of the size spectrum, with some species being very minute.
- The plant has no true stem, roots, or leaves which are necessary for autotrophic plants.