Parasite of the Day

When it comes to parasites, for most people it is a case of "out of sight, out of mind", and that especially applies to holoparasi...

Deserts can be challenging environments to live in, doubly so when you are a parasitic plant that has to latch onto the roots of a specific ...

Sometimes parasites get their own parasites too, and if you think that "enemy of my enemy is my friend", then you'd think this...

Epifagus virginiana is a parasitic plant that grows on the roots of American beech trees . Also known as "beechdrops", clumps of ...

The ecological roles played by parasites can often get overlooked because they are largely hidden from sight, but their presence can have a ...

Parasitic plant are among the most enigmatic plants on the planet - they spend most of their life completely out of view until it comes time...

Parasitic plants are important parts of many ecosystems due to the wide range of organisms they interact with. While they can be detrimental...

One of the key characteristic of plants is their ability to produce food using sunlight via the process of photosynthesis . But there are ma...

On this blog, we have featured many parasites that drastically alter the appearance and/or behaviour of their host, usually to make them mo...

Today's post has some plant-on-plant action, featuring a species of dodder. Dodders are a group of holoparasitic plants made up of abou...

Many parasites can have substantial effects on their hosts, but their impact can often extend to other organisms in the environment. Today...

Today's parasite is the nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus , a well-known tree-killer responsible for the devastating plant disease k...

For a change of pace today the blog is going to feature a parasitic plant. Cytinus hypocistis is a holoparasitic plant, which means that un...

Back in 1985, Wayt Thomas , a scientist from the New York Botanical Garden discovered an unusual plant in Mexico. It had a little bloom of...

One of the gifts that the Three Wise Men brought was frankincense, which is derived from the resin of the tree Boswellia serrata . While fra...

During Christmas time in Western Australia, Nuytsia floribunda begins to flower, displaying bright orange flowers and earning itself the na...

A cozy fire burning in the hearth, carols tinkling in the background, a glass of spiked eggnog in your bellies...what could be more romantic...

Pedicularis groenlandica , or as it is commonly known as because of the shape of its flowers (see insert), Elephant's Head or Elephanthe...

Today we have a pretty parasite - Lathraea clandestina , or the Purple Toothwort, is a parasitic plant that uses willows, poplars and alders...

Dactylanthus taylorii is a holoparasitic plant, meaning that it does not possess any chlorophyll of its own and derives all of its nutrient...