Hemiparasite
Guides
Bakerella
Bakerella is a genus of sixteen mistletoe species native to Madagascar and the Mascarenes. These hemiparasitic plants grow on host trees and produce showy flowers. They serve as an important food source for lemurs in parts of Madagascar. Research on Bakerella gonoclada demonstrates that lemur gut passage significantly enhances seed germination success, speed, and seedling survival compared to hand-removed seeds, indicating a mutualistic relationship between the plant and its lemur dispersers.
Bellardia
trixago bartsia, Mediterranean lineseed
Bellardia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae, containing only Bellardia trixago. This facultative hemiparasitic herb is native to the Mediterranean Basin but has been introduced to California and Chile, where it is considered a noxious weed. The species has been reclassified from Scrophulariaceae to Orobanchaceae based on phylogenetic studies. Its flowers are ethnobotanically consumed as food, and the plant has been investigated for pharmacological properties including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities.
Thesium
Rootthugs
Thesium is a genus of hemiparasitic flowering plants in the family Santalaceae, with approximately 325 species distributed primarily across Africa, Europe, and Asia. The genus is particularly diverse in South Africa, where roughly half of all species occur. Species in this genus are root hemiparasites that form haustorial connections to host plant roots. The genus has undergone taxonomic revision, with several segregate genera (Austroamericium, Chrysothesium, Kunkeliella, Thesidium) now subsumed within Thesium.