American mistletoe (Phorandendron leucarpum) in trees in southeastern US
American mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant that contains its own chlorophyll and stomata (at 400x)
Female flowers and developing fruit at 20x
Mistletoe berries during winter
Mistletoe berries sticking to an oak tree branch, possibly close to germination
American mistletoe germinating and growing on trees
Mistletoe haustoria penetrating tree branch
Wedge shaped mistletoe haustoria or "sinkers" penetrating tree branch bark and wood at 20x
Beechdrop plant (Epifagus virginiana) with seeds, paratisizing beech tree roots in southeastern US during winter
American beech tree (Fagus grandiflora), a tree commonly parasitized by the epifagus plant
Beechdrop plant cells which lack green chlorophyll and stomata at 400x
Beechdrop splash cup with seeds at 20x
Beechdrop seeds at 40x
Snow plants (Sarcodes sanguinea) in Yosemite National Park
Snow plants are myco-heterotrophic plants that lack chlorophyll
A snow plant feeds by stealing nutrients through a "cheating" relationship with a mycorrhizal fungi that is symbiotically connected to a tree's roots such as a pine tree shown here
Fertilized snow plant flowers turning into seeds
Sliced open flower showing fertilized, swollen ovary
Indian paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) in Yosemite National Park
Indian paintbrush is a hemiparasitic plant that parasitizes the roots of other herbaceous plants such as grasses
A parasitic plant called a leafless wintergreen (Pyrola) in Yosemite National Park (There is still much uncertainty and debate about the parasitism of this particular plant)
Fiveangled Dodder plant (Cuscuta pentagona) covering Japanese Hops in southeastern US
Yellow parasitic Dodder plant near river bank
Dodder plant wrapping itself around plant host
Dodder vines covering host stem at 10x
Modified roots called haustoria begin to swell towards host stem at 10x
Haustoria at 20x
Attached haustoria at 20x
Dodder haustoria penetrate host plant tissue and begin parasitizing water and nutrients at 20x
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Host plant stem cross section showing penetrating Dodder haustoria at 20x
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Penetrating Dodder haustoria at 100x
Penetrating haustoria at 400x
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Dodder vine cells showing no chloroplasts or photosynthetic green chlorophyll at 100x
Dodder cells showing yellow pigment at 400x
Dodder plant flowering
Dodder plant flowers at 10x
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