Lophophytum

Lophophytum
Lophophytum mirabile
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Balanophoraceae
Genus: Lophophytum
Schott & Endl.

Lophophytum is a genus of parasitic plants belonging to the family Balanophoraceae.[1]

Its native range is Western South America to Brazil and Northern Argentina.[1]

Like all species of Lophophytum, L. mirabile is a root holoparasite: it does not photosynthesize and takes its nutrients via vascular connection to a host plant, using an organ called a haustorium.[2]


Species:[1]

  • Lophophytum mirabile Schott & Endl.
  • Lophophytum pyramidale (Leandro) L.J.T.Cardoso & J.M.A.Braga
  • Lophophytum rizzoi Delprete
  • Lophophytum weddelii Hook.f.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Lophophytum Schott & Endl. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  2. ^ Trevor Padgett, Huei‐Jiun Su, Shu‐Hui Wu, Li‐yen Huang, Yiching Lin (January 2025). "Quantitative Approach for Determining Reproductive Life‐History Strategies of Parasitic Plants: A Case Study in Balanophora". Ecology and Evolution. 15 (1). doi:10.1002/ece3.70746. Retrieved 2026-02-03.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)