About the book
Parasitic plants can feed directly on other plants by invading the stems or roots of host plants through highly modified structures or haustorios. Parasitic plants are classified into two categories: hemiparasites and holoparasites. The former is characterized by being capable of photosynthesis, which mainly absorbs water and solutes from their hosts. Holoparasites, on the other hand, represent the extreme condition of parasitism; they lack chlorophyll and are incapable of photosynthesis, depending completely on their host to live. As much as in the past and now in the present, parasitic plants have aroused the curiosity of many around the world, mainly for their strange forms of life and showy reproductive structures. Additionally, many represent great losses for the economy because they are crop parasites, while in contrast, the conservation of others is threatened.
This book analyses parasitic plants from a global perspective, emphasizing particular cases due to the relevance of their biology, morphology, and anatomy. This book will also deal with their relationship to man.
