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parasiticplants.bsky.social
International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
@parasiticplants.bsky.social
70 followers 47 following 65 posts
Welcome to the account of the International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS)! Follow us for updates on the latest research, the diversity, and the impact on agriculture of these fascinating organisms!
For more, visit or join https://www.parasiticplants.org
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parasiticplants.bsky.social
Updated Post: First National Symposium on Parasitic Plants Successfully Concluded in Kunming, China www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/firs...
GroupPhoto_CNSPP-1
November 8, 2025 at 3:27 AM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
New Post: First National Symposium on Parasitic Plants Successfully Concluded in Kunming, China www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/firs...
November 7, 2025 at 1:31 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
New Post: Haustorium 88 is now available for download on the IPPS website. www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/haus...
November 6, 2025 at 4:07 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
The 88th issue of Haustorium is here!
Updates from IPPS, new research discussions, and more — curated by Chris Parker:
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/haus...
Haustorium 88 is now available for download on the IPPS website. - International Parasitic Plant Society
We are delighted to announce the publication of the 88th issue of Haustorium! Please follow the link below to download Haustorium 88. This edition features, among other highlights, a message from the ...
www.parasiticplants.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
New Post: The role of soil microbiota in the control of parasitic weeds www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/the-...
October 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
"The role of soil microbiota in the control of parasitic weeds" by Harro Bouwmeester

Preview: Happy to present the work of postdoc Pornkanok Pongpamorn and PhD student Michelle Zwart, carried out in the Promise II project lead by Jos…

Source: https://www.parasiticplants.org/b/TDt
#
parasiticplants
October 30, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
annbot.bsky.social
🎉🆕📰🎉: Parasitic plants show striking convergence in host preference across angiosperm lineages
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
October 25, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
rudiev.bsky.social
Walking around Forest Hill Park yesterday, I came across a genus completely new to me: Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana), a parasitic plant that subsists and grows on the roots of American beech. Completely lacking in chlorophyll, it produces small brown stems and white/purple flowers #RVA #plants
This image shows a small cluster of slender, reddish-pink plants growing on the forest floor among leaf litter and dappled sunlight. The plants have upright, unbranched stems with tiny, scale-like leaves and lack green foliage. Their color and form suggest they are a parasitic plant species that does not photosynthesize, likely **Beechdrops (*Epifagus virginiana*)**. Beechdrops are known for growing in association with beech trees, drawing nutrients from their roots. The background is softly blurred, showing green leaves and a shaded woodland environment, emphasizing the plants’ delicate and distinctive appearance. This image is a close-up photograph of a plant stem with a cluster of distinctively colored flowers. Here's a breakdown of the visual elements: * **Flowers:** The flowers are **tubular** and grow upwards in a spike-like cluster along the stalk. Each flower is a mix of **white and a deep reddish-brown or maroon color**, with the colors appearing as bold **stripes or veins** on the petals. The shape of the corolla is bilaterally symmetrical, curving slightly upward, and appears to have two lips or a hood. Small, bright **yellow-tipped stamens** are visible protruding from the mouth of some of the flowers. * **Stem/Stalk:** The central stalk is a thick, reddish-brown or maroon color, which matches the darker color of the flowers. This stalk is mostly devoid of green leaves, which is characteristic of certain types of parasitic or non-photosynthetic plants. * **Background:** The background is dark and out of focus, suggesting a **woodland or shaded environment**. Hints of green and brown blur into a soft, dark background, which makes the plant stand out. * **Lighting:** The plant appears to be well-lit, possibly by a patch of **sunlight** filtering through the trees, highlighting the texture of the stem and the fine details of the flowers. Based on its appearance—a reddish-brown, non-photosynthetic-looking stalk with tubular, two-lipped, striped flowers—it strongly resembles a species of **Broomrape** (*Orobanche*) or a related parasitic plant in the family **Orobanchaceae**.
October 26, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
evodevo-papers.bsky.social
The floral ABCs of Hydnora, one of the most bizarre parasitic plants in the world, and its autotrophic relatives of the order Piperales https://evodevojournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13227-025-00252-8 #EvoDevo
October 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
Highly recommended! Did you know that the term “haustorium” originated in the study of #parasiticplants and was only later adopted by microbiologists?
plantdisease.bsky.social American Phytopathological Society (APS) @plantdisease.bsky.social · 16d
Host Matt Kasson chats with Dr. Jim Westwood of Virginia Tech about parasitic plants, how they communicate with their hosts, and what his research reveals about these fascinating species.

🎧 Listen now: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/65
October 30, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
shirasulab.bsky.social
Simon's mutant finally published! Well done, Satoko' lab with Harro, Tobimatsu, Tohge collaborations. Glucosylation of endogenous haustorium-inducing factors underpins kin avoidance in parasitic plants | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Glucosylation of endogenous haustorium-inducing factors underpins kin avoidance in parasitic plants
Parasitic plants rarely attack themselves, suggesting the existence of a kin-avoidance mechanism. In the root parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum, prehaustorium formation is triggered by host-se...
www.science.org
October 24, 2025 at 12:29 AM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
Parasitic plants shedding light on kin recognition, or rather avoidance in this case
October 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
Updated Post: November IPPS Seminars by Guillaume Brun and Martina Leso www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/nove...
October 23, 2025 at 7:16 AM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
Orobanche cumana in the USA!
tarnado.bsky.social Tarnado, Area Grill Dad @tarnado.bsky.social · Oct 15
The WSDA is on the hunt for a new crop pest, parasitic plant Orobanche cumana (aka 'SBR' or sunflower broomrape).

Thanks, iNaturalist community, O. cumana was ID'ed for the 1st time in North America in Yakima County. O. cumana is an agronomic pest and could destablilize native plant ecosystems.
WSDA seeks help from sunflower growers after first North American detection of sunflower broomrape confirmed in Yakima
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has confirmed the first-ever North American detection of Orobanche cumana, commonly known as sunflower broomrape, in Yakima, WA. This marks the fi...
agr.wa.gov
October 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
We’re pleased to share the speakers for our November IPPS seminar: Guillaume Brun and Martina Leso
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/nove...
November IPPS Seminars by Guillaume Brun and Martina Leso - International Parasitic Plant Society
We are pleased to announce the speakers for our November IPPS seminars. First talk: Dr. Guillaume Brun from Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, will talk about “Seed metab...
www.parasiticplants.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
And another IPPS member news from Stefano Pavan:
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/fiel...
Field resistance to Orobanchaceae: beyond strigolactones - International Parasitic Plant Society
Strigolactone (SL) biosynthetic mutants have repeatedly been associated with reduced germination of parasitic Orobanchaceae in vitro. However, the extent to which this translates into field resistance...
www.parasiticplants.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
IPPS member news from Francisco E. Fonturbe:
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/mist...
Mistletoe magic: How two parasitic plants team up to feed birds in the desert - International Parasitic Plant Society
In the dry landscapes of Chile, two mistletoe species are proving that teamwork pays off—even for parasitic plants. A new study reveals that Tristerix aphyllus and Tristerix verticillatus, although co...
www.parasiticplants.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
lost-in-botany.bsky.social
#leptomeria preissiana putting on a show! This is a widespread hemiparasitic shrub that is within thee #Santalaceae family! I love our odd parasitic plants here!
September 29, 2025 at 2:59 AM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
#parasiticplants
October 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
annbot.bsky.social
Parasitic plants help build lignin deposits in host tissues

🌿 Now in @botany.one 🌿
botany.fyi/lq45ex

Full paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
Rhinanthus minor in USA by Julie Travaglini / iNaturalist. CC-BY
October 11, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
nobodynursery.bsky.social
Part of a series on Nobody Nursery plants native to the Willamette Valley: Grindelia integrifolia (Puget Sound / Willamette Valley gumweed) inoculated with Aphyllon californicum (CA broomrape)

It’s so fun to grow gumweed as a host for this cute little parasitic plant in the paintbrush family.
Aphyllon californicum blooming in a pot with Grindelia integrifolia Grindelia integrifolia in bloom, with photo credit to Sean Haight
October 21, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
magicpoet01.bsky.social
Marsh lousewort 🩷
A semi-parasitic plant that takes nutrients from others growing near it - hence it weakens reeds & helps increase fen biodiversity...

Photograph from Oxfordshire, UK by the ever-observant Beatrice Groves
August 28, 2025 at 12:53 AM
parasiticplants.bsky.social
#parasiticplants
themagikgarden.com The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · Sep 3
I hope so. This guy's new this year. I haven't seen this here in previous years. I'm pretty sure this is the five angled dodder or Cuscuta pentagona, but I'll go out tomorrow for a proper ID. I only have a tiny area of it, and it keeps the stickseed in check. Doesn't seem to kill it.
Dodder is a parasitic plant with abundant white flowers. I need to get a proper ID on this one.
October 8, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
theresamcmanus.bsky.social
Lovely to see quite a few patches of this unusual parasitic plant on Canford Heath yesterday. Dodder - Cuscuta epithymum.
September 5, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
stevetypesstuff.bsky.social
When it comes to Cynomorium songaricum, #beetles are ok but #ants are perfect for seed dispersal!

[Yet another weird and wonderful parasitic plant that I didn’t know existed - _this_ is why I love BlueSky and miss the old T****er days.]
the-episiarch.bsky.social Veeloxxy Bites @the-episiarch.bsky.social · Sep 14
I've written a post about Cynomorium songaricum, a holoparasitic plant found in the deserts of Inner Mongolia. So how does this plant disperse its seeds across the desert and reach the roots of its hosts?

Well, with the help of some little friends. 🧪
dailyparasite.blogspot.com/2025/09/cyno...
<i>Cynomorium songaricum</i>
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 ...
dailyparasite.blogspot.com
September 16, 2025 at 6:53 AM