
An overview of the parasitic plant Langsdorffia - lelf
https://phys.org/news/2020-08-overview-parasitic-langsdorffia.html
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kace91
>The researchers suggest the biology of the plant is so unique that it
challenges the notion of plants and what they are. They conclude by suggesting
Langsdorffia is unlike any other plant in existence, and because so very
little is known about it, more work is required

But what is unique and different about it? Maybe it's my ignorance of biology
but I feel the article didn't explain that. I mean, the article did describe
the plant but not which of its characteristics are unique.

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AlotOfReading
Only a casual acquaintance with parasitic plants, but the paper says

> All species of Langsdorffia are highly modified parasites comprising just a
> series of tubers and inflorescences, and lack an ordinary stem structure and
> all trace of functional apical meristems. The Balanophoraceae more broadly
> feature a particularly complicated host-parasite vascular interface, in
> which the parasitic tuber appears to engulf the host plant's roots the
> vascular tissues of which infiltrate the parasite tissue extensively.
> Interestingly, all Balanophoraceae appear to lack stomata entirely, which is
> highly unusual in the plant kingdom beyond submerged aquatics.

Additionally, they can parasitize a wide range of hosts. Most parasites are
very host specific.

Another interesting genus along similar lines is Pholisma, which is also not
present in conservation collections and native to a very threatened
environment.

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kitd
This reads like some of the plants are male and some female. I know most have
male and female _parts_ , but is it common in the plant kingdom to have
separate genders?

Edit: also S. America, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea is an incredibly wide
but sparse distribution.

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baddox
The topic to look into is dioecy. Most plants have individuals with both male
and female reproductive organs, but there are exceptions. Also, it’s worth
noting that the terms “male” and “female” are used differently for plants than
for animals.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioecy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioecy)

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8bitsrule
No leaves? Brings to mind private equity firms ... and other vampire squids.

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kanobo
Learning that it's one of a kind and so unique makes me want to eat it and
know how it tastes.

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jonplackett
And that’s why there are no dodos.

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kanobo
That's actually a common misconception, there's no evidence that they were
eaten to extinction and there is some evidence that suggests early settlers
thought they weren't worth eating because they aren't tasty.

