Tag: botany

Dionaea, also called as venus fly trap has modified itself in order to meet the requirements of nitrogen. Its leaves are turned into bilobed flap-like structures or winged structures surrounded by spines on the margins so that they can trap the insects laying on them.

Balanophora is a total root parasite because it sucks sugars, minerals and also water from the roots of host plants like cabbage etc for its survival, in turn, harming the host.

Rafflesia bears the largest flowers of the angiosperms. The flowers can grow to 3 feet and can weigh up to 6 kilograms. The plant is parasitic and the vegetative parts are not visible. The flowers are unisexual. The foul smell produced by the flower attracts the pollinator insects.  

A. The largest root parasite is rafflesia because rafflesia blooms the largest flower grows to be 3 ft across and almost 50 pounds. The only visible parts of this parasite are usually its flower.

Orobanche is a well-known total root parasite that attaches to the roots of crops like tomato and brinjal to extract nutrients.

Epiphytes are plants that grow attached to other plants. Epiphytes and climbing plants have aerial roots that anchor the plant to the bark, branch or another surface on which it grows. Aerial roots of some epiphytes are specialized not only for anchorage but some have photosynthetic roots (some epiphytic orchids), some absorb water. Some parasitic epiphytes, such as mistletoe (Phorodendron sp, etc.), have roots that penetrate the host plant tissues and absorb nutrients.

While mushrooms are actually fungi rather than plants, they exhibit saprotrophic nutrition by obtaining nutrients from dead and decaying organic matter in soil. Unlike the other options which are parasitic or carnivorous plants, mushrooms are decomposers.

Rafflesia is an example of the obligate root parasites. These parasites are organism which cannot complete its life cycle without a host. It is done with the help of an absorptive organ, the haustorium.